


Walking Wounded

by coneygoil



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Caryl AU, F/M, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:01:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 54,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24183298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coneygoil/pseuds/coneygoil
Summary: The waitress at a diner Daryl decides to start frequenting catches his eye, but things are complicated. Now, Daryl is the only thing standing between her and her abusive husband.
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Carol Peletier
Comments: 84
Kudos: 231





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first TWD fic. I actually wasn’t planning on writing any, but a dream I woke up from the other day inspired me and I just had to get it out in words! This will be a multi-chapters fic. More to come later :) btw, I don’t like using curse words, so there’s not a whole lot in here.

He began frequenting the diner a couple months ago. Daryl and his brother needed a quick bite to eat after a long day of hunting and roughing it like wildmen in the woods, and there was jack squat to eat at their trailer. The diner was rather empty with only a couple other hungry patrons sipping coffee and minding their own business.

Daryl hadn’t thought much of the waitress that served them. She was polite and a bit skittish, and strangely had a nearly shaved head. But, that was really the only thing that stood out. By the time they’d driven off in Daryl’s rickety old pick-up truck, he’d put the waitress out of his mind.

Merle seemed to take a liking to the food at that particular diner. _“Taste like real food,”_ he’d said, then colorfully compared other diner foods to a pile of dog crap.

The next weekend, they visited the little diner and once again, the same woman waited on them. It was this second trip to the diner that the polite waitress with the buzzed head caught his interest. He paid attention to her. He chatted with her when Merle left to take a piss. Her eyes were kind and looked at him like he wasn’t a dirty redneck like other people perceived him to be. Her eyes were the prettiest blue he’d ever seen.

The third time Daryl visited the diner, he was alone. Merle was gone. He wasn’t sure where his brother was, but it didn’t matter. He’d be back. And if he didn’t come back, Daryl could take a few guesses where he was – either in jail, holed up somewhere on a bender, or dead.

So, Daryl was there alone.

He made sure to sit at the same table they were in last time in hopes the waitress with the kind eyes and buzzed head would serve him. He felt warm and a little foolish at the thought. He wasn’t a damn schoolboy hoping his crush would notice him, but that’s exactly what he felt like when he slipped into the booth. The waitress arrived before he barely settled down.

“Where’s your brother?” she’d asked after a few lines of greeting.

Daryl gestured out the window as if that’d give an explanation. “He’s out with some friends,” he tall-taled, because he had no clue where his brother was, and he wasn’t about to give the ugly details of truth of where he could be.

The first two visits Daryl hadn’t caught the waitress’s name and she didn’t wear a nametag to make it obvious. “I’m Daryl, by the way.”

Her eyes sparkled when she smiled at him. “Nice to meet you again, Daryl. I’m Carol.”

It was probably the second, maybe third, time he’d heard her name, but now he would never forget it.

Trips to the diner became Daryl’s new habit. He made sure to visit during Carol’s shifts and sat in the same booth every time he could. He was pleased on one of his visits, as soon as he walked in the door, Carol greeted him from behind the counter with the biggest smile he’d been graced with from her so far. She teased him about how much he enjoyed the coffee because that _had_ to be the only reason he would frequent so often. The dark liquid that filled his cup was okay (at least better than the swill Merle fixed at home), but Daryl wouldn’t dare offer the real reason. They chatted longer if Carol had the time to spare. She seemed genuinely interested in his life. Daryl kept the details vague. There were many specifics a gentle lady like her didn’t need to know – most likely because it would horrify her, especially anything concerning his brother.

Merle didn’t visited the diner with him again, save for one more time when he was somewhat clean and presentable. Daryl didn’t enjoy the trip since Merle did most of the talking and called Carol names that Daryl thought she was above. It burned him up inside. Carol didn’t seem too bothered though, but she was more willing to hang around their table when Merle would step out.

It was on Daryl’s 9th trip to the diner that he spotted a bruise. Carol’s uniform sleeve didn’t cover all of it. His eyes lingered on the half-covered purple handprint peeking from the hem of her sleeve. A grim feeling crept up his spine and his heart pummeled his ribcage. He knew a bruise like that didn’t come from an accident. He’d seen it too often as a kid to know. Someone put it there on purpose. Daryl’s stomach tightened at the thought of how many more bruises were hidden on her.

He didn’t know if Carol was married. She didn’t wear a wedding band and she never talked much about her personal life. Until one day, she did.

It wasn’t much. Just a mention of her husband. A husband who was at home watching their young daughter. Her throat seemed to choke up as she spoke the words. A flash of fear crossed her face that wasn’t missed by Daryl. It was like just the reminder that her daughter was in the presence of her husband concerned her greatly. She claimed she had to get a job a few months ago to _earn her keep_ because her husband wasn’t going to have her sit at home all day slumming around while he hauled butt to provide for them. She hadn’t said it in such a way, but Daryl could read between the lines.

The next diner trip, the cheer in Carol’s smile was there, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes like it usually did. Daryl knew now that she was married, but that didn’t stop him from chatting with her and feeling the same as he had before. Carol was still the kindest person he’d ever met in his sorry excuse for a life and he couldn’t help thinking on how pretty those blue eyes of hers were. He kept coming because seeing him put a smile on her face. Talking to him gave her a bit of relief. He wanted to give her at least that much.

One evening as Daryl stepped into the diner, he stopped dead in his tracks. His regular table was tucked away in the left-hand corner, and for the first time since he started coming, it was taken. A little girl occupied the booth. Her shoulder-length blonde hair hung against her face as she colored. A half-filled glass of milk sat in front of her. He couldn’t tell exactly how old she was since he wasn’t around children hardly any. Maybe she was 4 or 5? She resembled someone. Someone he’d become familiar with over the last several weeks.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Carol’s voice nearly made him jump. He hoped his face wasn’t as red as the heat he felt upon it. “I’ll move her to another table.” Carol had taken note that it was his usual spot, just as she’d memorized his usual order.

“Sophia,” she called to the little girl, and as soon as the girl’s eyes flicked up, Daryl knew for certain whose daughter she was. “Come on, honey. A customer needs that table.”

The little girl was about to scoot out without so much as a sigh. Daryl couldn’t do that to her. “She can stay. No need for her to get up. There’re plenty other empty tables around here.”

Carol shook her head, an apology she didn’t need to give written on her face. “I don’t want her to be a bother.”

“She’s not.”

Daryl slid in the booth located right before his usual table. He probably should have chosen the other side of the table, because he had a clear view of the little girl. She glanced at his curiously then got back to work on the pig she was currently coloring purple.

“Is this your--?” Daryl felt awkward finishing the question. He’d only just learned about Carol’s daughter.

Carol smiled warmly as she peered over at the top of the little blonde head. “My daughter. Sophia.” The name was spoken with such love and reverence. “She had to come to work with me tonight.”

“Your husband had to work or something?”

It was then that Daryl caught the shiner on Carol’s cheek that she had been trying to keep turned. He could put the rest of the pieces together. Carol shook her head, sadly. “He just couldn’t tonight. But, it’s okay. My daughter is such a quiet child. She minds well. My manager didn’t have a problem with me bringing her in this once.”

Daryl insides burned. He could guess exactly why Carol’s daughter minded so well. She’d probably be punished if she so much as sneezed. Daryl shifted uncomfortably at a long ago memory he tamped down immediately.

“The usual?” Carol asked, dragging Daryl out of his stewing.

“Uh, yeah. That’s fine.”

Daryl peered out the window, trying not to pay much attention to the little girl. He could see out of the corner of his eye that she was stealing glances of him every now and then. He couldn’t quite read her expression not looking at her straight on, but from what he could tell, she seemed wary of him.

Carol arrived with his coffee and he thanked her wholeheartedly, as if she’d brought him the greatest gift he’d ever received. Carol looked pleasantly surprised by his outpouring of graciousness. She chatted with him for a few moments before moving on. Sophia had drunk the rest of her milk. Her mother brought a refill as soon as she finished. The little girl quietly showed her the purple pig. Carol fawned over how beautiful the picture was.

After Carol walked away, Daryl craned his neck to get a better view of the coloring. “Never seen a purple pig before,” he teased, keeping his voice light. “Think there’s one out there that just hadn’t been found yet?”

The little girl looked like she wanted to bolt. He’d never actually talked to a child before, at least one this young. He guessed it was natural for kids to be shy of strangers, but Sophia seemed downright petrified.

“It’s okay,” Daryl assured, “I promise, I don’t bite.”

Carol approached, seeing the exchange. “It’s okay, Sophia.” She brushed her daughter’s hair back, soothingly. “Daryl is a friend.”

A flutter hit Daryl square in the chest. She‘d called him a _friend_. He tapped down the nice feeling. He had no business feeling that way. Everything surrounding Carol was complicated, from what he gathered. Still, he would accept being her friend if she wanted him to be.

Tires suddenly grounded into the parking lot. Daryl snapped his head to find a Jeep Cherokee coming in hot. It slammed on its breaks in the second row of parking spots. An average-height, slightly heavy-set man stepped out, slamming the door behind him.

The gasp that escaped Carol’s throat was not lost to Daryl. He snapped his attention back to her. His blood ran cold at the sight of her pale, stricken face. The man was stomping toward the diner like a giant prepared to knock the head clean off something.

“Sophia, honey,” the tremble in her voice made Daryl’s jaw clinch. “Stay right here while I go talk to Daddy.”

Carol rushed out the door, intercepting her husband before he could make it across the parking lot. Daryl stole one glance at Sophia, the poor girl sinking into the booth, looking just about as terrified as her mother.

His heart pounded. He couldn’t sit around while Carol was out there confronting the man who laid his hands violently upon her. Daryl made his way right outside the doors of the diner, hoping to act inconspicuous. He lit up a cigarette. Smoking being his excuse for being outside and not the overwhelming need to stick close to the woman that was confronting the man that abused her body.

“What the hell you thinkin’?” the man snarled, and he was exactly how Daryl imagined he would sound. 

“What’s wrong, Ed?” Carol sounded exactly how he imagined she would in the presence of her husband.

“What the hell were you thinkin’!?” Daryl’s back bristled at his increased aggressive tone. He took a drag of his cigarette, pretending to be interested in the activities at the gas station next door. “Gonna lose this damn job and your sorry ass wages because of our snivelin’ ankle-biter! Leave the stinkin’ brat at home!”

Carol averted her eyes to the ground, her body seeming to prepare itself for the repercussions. “You seemed like you wanted to be alone tonight. I wanted to give you that time by yourself.”

“I can handle our brat, Carol! I’ll lock her in her room if I have to! Wouldn’t be the first time I locked her in there!” Her husband – _Ed_ – pushed Carol out of the way, causing her to stumble. “I’m taking her home.”

“Please, Ed. She’s just a little girl. Please don’t lock her away.” Carol clutched at his arm, pleading desperately. “She’s not harming anything being here.”

“Get off!” In that split second – in that one wrong move by Ed -- Daryl saw red. His body moved before his brain had time to catch up to what he was doing.

Ed snatched her right arm, twisting it in a direction that it definitely wasn’t made for. Carol barely cried out. She clinched her teeth as if trained to hold back the noise. He let go of her arm, but reared back and slapped her across the face. Ed never got any further in his blatant display of abuse.

Daryl had thrown punches before. More times than he could remember to count. Never had he punched a person with such force that they stumbled backwards and fell flat on the ground. The impact of slamming his fist into Ed’s jaw reverberated painfully up Daryl’s arm, but he welcomed the pain. Made him feel alive, especially when it was pain taken for a good cause.

A string of gargled expletives spewed from Ed’s mouth. He wiped at his bloody mouth with the back of his wrist.

Shaking off the pain in his arm, Daryl turned immediately to Carol. Tears streamed pitifully down her cheeks. She cradled her injured arm. There was no hesitation in Daryl’s mind that he had to get her and her daughter out of there. He touched Carol’s shoulder with a stark contrast of gentleness than he just used on Ed. His heart clinched when she flinched away.

“Carol, look at me,” Daryl coaxed, softly. He followed her face with his. Her eyes locked onto his, her pupils blown out. He hoped she registered what he was about to say. “Go get Sophia and your things. We’re leaving.”

“The hell she’s leaving with you!” growled out Ed as he rolled onto his side in an attempt to push his sorry rear end off the concrete.

“The hell she’s going anywhere with the likes of you!” Daryl flung back with a fair amount of venom. He resisted the strong urge to kick him in the side. “Only a damn, good-for-nuthin’ coward beats his woman!”

Daryl quickly glanced behind him, not wanting to take his sights off the bastard rolling around pathetically on the ground. He found Carol gone. She returned in record time, clutching Sophia against her in the tightest protective hold. Daryl drug his eyes off Ed. He led Carol to his pick-up truck, opening the passenger side door for her. He hopped in the driver side and revved up the engine. In the door rearview mirror, he could see Ed back on his feet, storming toward them and yelling his promises to kill them all.

“Hold on,” Daryl barely warned before peeling out of the parking lot. He waited for his adrenaline to lower before checking on her. “You okay?”

Carol jumped at his voice like she forgot he was there. Her crying had calmed, but her breathing was remained ragged. She turned her head slightly toward him and Daryl caught the tear streaks staining her cheeks. She still clutched Sophia to her as if her daughter was her only lifeline. Daryl could hear sniffles coming from Carol’s shoulder where the little girl hid her face.

“How’s your arm?” he pressed on. “Anything dislocated? Broken?”

Carol blinked a few times before regaining her senses. She shook her head. “No. Just hurts.”

“Are you sure?”

Carol nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve had a dislocated shoulder before. I know what it feels like.”

The confession sadly didn’t surprise Daryl, but it fueled the anger toward the man he’d had the pleasure of knocking flat on his ass.

“Is she okay?”

Carol nuzzled her nose comfortingly in Sophia’s hair. She hugged her daughter even tighter. “I think so.”

A long beat of silence filled the cab of the truck. The buildings and streetlights blurred by. Daryl’s body still tingled with adrenaline, but his mind was calming.

“Where are we going?” Carol’s voice remained low and breathy.

Daryl gripped the steering wheel, the worn leather squeaking under his grip. “Some place safe.”


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reading! This is my first Caryl fic and I'm glad it's being enjoyed :)

“Ain’t much, but you and your little girl be safe here.”

The trailer Daryl shared with his brother was less than desirable. Merle wasn’t the cleanest person to live with, but when he was away on whatever bender to trash his life, Daryl would clean up what he could. There was no point in having a bunch of beer bottles for target practice in the living room and open cans of beans sitting out for the roaches to feast on. No one should live like that, not even a redneck.

“My brother ain’t here. He’s been gone a few days. Maybe gone longer than he usual is. You and Sophia can sleep in my room. Sorry I can’t change the sheets. Only got one and we ain’t gotta washer here.”

“It’s okay.” He watched Carol closely as she took in the surroundings. “Daryl, I really don’t want to put you out. Sophia can sleep on the couch and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“Nah. I won’t have none-a that. You’re taking the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch. Don’t mind. Slept on the ground more times than I can remember. It don’t bother me.”

Sophia had fallen asleep during the drive over. The poor girl was probably exhausted from being awake late and witnessing all the horrors that children should be shielded from. It was a blessing the drive had lulled her to a peaceful slumber.

Carol, and the girl’s weight was putting a toll on Carol’s uninjured arm. “Why don’t you go put her down before your arm falls off.” He pointed down the short hallway. “Room at the end of the hallway. If there’s anything on the bed that shouldn’t be there, just knock it on the floor. I’ll get it later.”

Carol thanked him and made her way to the bedroom. Daryl did a quick sweep for anything that he deemed inappropriate for Carol and her daughter to be exposed to. Thankfully, with Merle being gone, he’d cleaned up somewhat and found nothing that really stood out in the living room/kitchen area that he was currently occupying. Merle’s bedroom was a whole other issue, but Daryl kept the door closed when his brother was away. Daryl had no desire to see that dirty mess either.

Carol returned a couple minutes later. Daryl didn’t know what to do with himself. He stood there in the living room like a fool and waited for her.

Another bruise was blooming on her cheek where her husband had slapped her. Daryl took one step towards her, not thinking as he raised his hand. Carol closed her eyes and shrank away immediately. He paused instantly. “I’m not gonna hurt’cha.” Daryl held his hands up to show he wasn’t a threat. The tension in Carol’s shoulders depleted a bit. Slower, he reached out to take her chin with his fingertips and turn her head so he could examine the damage. Daryl gritted his teeth, holding back a string of choice words for Carol’s husband. This kind and gentle woman that had befriended him two months ago didn’t deserve _this_.

Daryl visited the fridge and came back with a clean rag filled with ice cubes he’d cracked from a tray in the freezer. He offered Carol a seat on the couch while he took a seat in Merle’s recliner. She pressed the makeshift ice pack to her cheek.

“He’s going to be furious,” Carol commented after a couple moments of quiet.

“You’re safe here,” Daryl reassured her. “I ain’t gonna let him get you or your little girl.”

“Why?” The ice cubes creaked as Carol shifted the rag on her face. Her blue eyes pierced his. “Why do you care?”

Daryl thought it was hard enough witnessing an innocent woman be violently manhandled by the man who was supposed to love and protect her. This question and the tone in her voice ripped through his heart even more. Had anyone ever cared about this woman’s wellbeing?

Daryl leaned his elbows on his knees. He contemplated whether his ugly life experiences should be hung out for her to see, but he knew that what he had to share about himself for her to understand. “I know what it’s like growing up in a house like that. No kid or woman should have to live like that.”

Carol’s eyes softened in understanding. She looked down at her lap. “I have nowhere to go. No money. I can’t go back to my job.” She clinched her jaw trying desperately to hold back a sob. “I have nothing.”

“ _Look_ _here_ ,” Daryl said more firmly than he’d meant it to be. Carol snapped her eyes back up at him. He continued more softly, “We will figure it out. Until then, you and your little girl can stay here. You’re safe. You got a roof over your head. Food to eat. What you need, I’ll get.”

Tears escaped the rims of Carol’s eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”

Daryl avoided her gaze. He couldn’t handle the overwhelming need to wipe away her tears he had no right to touch. He nodded his chin toward his bedroom. “Get cleaned up and get some sleep.”

Carol sucked in a shaky breath. “Okay.” She began to make her way to the bedroom but paused and looked over her shoulder. She offered him a watery smile. “Thank you, Daryl.”

Daryl nodded his reply. Once she had closed herself up in his bedroom, Daryl let go of the breath he’d been holding. He plopped back into the recliner and rubbed his palms over his face, wondering what the hell he’d gotten himself into.

***

Carol didn’t know what to think. Everything had escalated at Fahrenheit speed and she hadn’t had a second to process it. Ed had been on the warpath that day. He’d had a rough day at work and his supper wasn’t prepared to his bidding, no matter how careful Carol was about fixing it. He’d taken his anger out on her before slamming the bedroom door and locking himself away. Carol feared for Sophia’s safety when Ed came home a loose cannon. She couldn’t leave Sophia there. Not without her mother to protect her. Carol packed up Sophia’s old, broken crayons and a half-used coloring book, along with her doll and brought the girl to work with her. Her manager was understanding, buying in the story of Ed having to work late and having no one to watch their daughter.

Carol hadn’t assumed Ed would care or even notice Sophia wasn’t there. He would probably be happy that he wasn’t saddled with his own flesh and blood for the evening. Carol was wrong. Very _wrong_.

Ed would have taken Sophia. He would have snatched her right out of the booth. Sophia would have cried and begged for Carol to save her. It all played out in her head. But, that wasn’t the reality that happened—

Daryl had began frequenting the diner a week after Carol was hired. She had regular customers. She was friendly toward them as she was to everyone who stopped by for a bite to eat and sip on coffee. Daryl wasn’t just another customer. He’d caught her interest the second time he’d come in. He was quieter when he ate with his brother, but alone, he would chat with her as if they’d known each other for years. He treated her kindly. Carol didn’t know how Daryl felt, but she was beginning to consider him a friend instead of just another customer.

She liked the idea of having a friend. Ed had practically alienated her from people ever since their first two years of marriage. Carol didn’t think much of it at first. It’d happened gradually. When she finally realized what he was doing, it was too late. Everyone in her life had been cut away by his cruel knife of control.

Daryl swooped in out of nowhere. He’d laid Ed out flat on his back. He’d gather her and Sophia up, and whisked them away to a refuge. Maybe, just maybe, he did consider her a friend as well. She needed a friend.

Carol stared at her face in the rectangle mirror of Daryl’s bathroom. Bruises and busted lips weren’t anything new from her reflection. She splashed water on her face and dried it carefully with a folded towel from a stack on the little wire shelf above the toilet. She had no other clothes besides her uniform. She had no other choice but to sleep in it.

She laid down next to Sophia, minding her injured arm. She watched her daughter sleep until her own eyes became heavy.


	3. Part 3

A pot of grits and some links of deer sausage awaited Carol and her daughter as they emerged from the bedroom the next morning. Daryl gestured to the small, round kitchen table for them to sit and he served them breakfast. Carol sat planted there, wringing her hands in her lap and not knowing how to act. She’d never – not once – had been served breakfast by Ed. Not even on Mother’s Day or her birthday. It felt all kinds of wrong to be the one being served, and she almost couldn’t bare to watch.

“Ran out for a little while to pick up some milk from the Dollar General,” he told her as he pulled out the mix-matched chair across from her. “And some other things you and Sophia may need.” He gestured to the yellow bags on the kitchen counter. “Damn DGs are everywhere these days. Surprised there ain’t one in every yard.”

“Thank you,” Carol gazed at the food like she didn’t know what to do with it, “You didn’t have to. I mean, I don’t have any money to pay you back. Ed never lets me—”

Daryl held up a hand to stop her. “Don’t worry about it. I got enough cash squirreled away to spare some. You and your little girl need things and I’m gonna make sure you have them.”

Daryl switched his attention to Sophia sitting next to him. She hadn’t uttered a word in his presence. Not at the diner nor this morning. She watched him cautiously when he wasn’t looking, but as soon as Daryl turned his attention to her, she’d stiffen and avert her eyes to whatever was below her. Even at 5 years old, she’d learned to not make eye contact with her father, and in doing so, learned to not make contact with any man either. Ed would take it the wrong way – like he thought she was ignoring him -- and whip his belt out. Said she had to learn early how to act properly. All it was doing was training her to be a good whipping post for a man just like her daddy.

“How you this morning, Sophia?” Daryl tried. He was just as gentle with her as he was with Carol. “You sleep good?” When she didn’t respond or look at him, he nodded his head. “It’s okay if you don’t wanna talk. I ain’t gonna make you.” He pointed to the deer sausage on her plate. “You need to eat. That some good deer. I shot it a couple weeks back. Helps keep my belly full every morning.”

“You said your brother lives here too?” Carol asked. Daryl hummed in reply as he chewed up a piece of sausage. “What’s his name? I can’t remember it.”

“Merle,” Daryl sat back, hoping his brother’s sabbatical would be longer than usual. Merle was going to give him hell for bringing a married woman and her kid into their Dixon boys’ abode. “He’s my older brother. 8 years older. We’ve lived on and off with each other our whole lives. He’s really all I got.”

“He won’t mind us being here?” Carol’s concern was written all over her face. She’d met Merle three or four times, but judging by how he talked, Merle didn’t seem like the most pleasant person to be around.

“Whether he minds or not, he’s not gonna have a say. He’s the one always gone off doing his own thing while I’m here. I think I have more a say so than him. You and your little girl need a place to stay more than he does anyways.”

Carol bristled. “I don’t want to cause trouble.”

“You’re not. Don’t think you are.”

All the reassurance Daryl had given her in the last several hours hadn’t soaked in. Carol had been conditioned to think herself a burden and his words weren’t penetrating that steel wall. She still felt like bolting right out the door.

Sophia had finally begun to move in her spot. She sipped at her glass of milk before taking a merger spoonful of grits. Carol worried most for her daughter. The child had witnessed more violence in her short 5 years than one person did in a lifetime. Their sudden departure was only going to fuel Ed’s anger like gasoline on fire. How would they survive this?

***

After breakfast, Daryl drove them to pick up Carol’s car to bring back to the trailer. Carol was close to spilling tears when she heard her car had been towed away by Ed. He was a lazy son of gun, but when it came to spite, he had all the energy in the world. The loss of Carol’s car was a huge blow. As they made their way back to the trailer, Daryl could tell she was trying to hold back tears as she squashed Sophia to her side.

She didn’t have a vehicle. Not even a car seat for Sophia. No clothes. Possessions. Money. Nothing. It visibly crushed her like a 1000-pound weight.

When they arrived back at the trailer, Daryl quietly asked Carol to talk with him in the bedroom while Sophia watched tv in the living room. Sophia’s eyes widen as big as saucers in alarm, but Carol assured her that Daryl wasn’t like her daddy. _Mommy is safe with him_. Daryl had to take a deep breath at the very thought that this poor girl had to be told that.

Carol followed him into his bedroom after getting Sophia settled. Her skittishness had come back tenfold as he shut the door behind them.

“Have you thought about going to a women’s shelter?” Daryl regretted the question the moment the words tumbled from his mouth.

A deep frown line creased Carol’s brow. “I did. Several months back. They couldn’t do much more than give me housing. A few necessary items. Ed found us.” Her voice cracked, and Daryl could see a slew of memories playing out behind her eyes. “He caught us on the street. He brought us back home. He did this to me.” Carol pulled up her sleeve to reveal a burn mark just below the back of her left shoulder. “Made me swear I’d never leave like that again. I was _his_ and had no right to go. I swore, because if I didn’t, I knew he would go after Sophia. He never threatened to, but I knew he would.”

Daryl’s chest tightened like a bow sting with every new horrifying reality that she shared. Behind his own eyes, memories of childhood played out. He shook himself free before he could dive too deep within them. This wasn’t about his past life. This was about the gentle, soft-spoken woman standing in front of him that didn’t have a damn person on her side in the entire world.

If he thought about it – really made himself think – he didn’t have anyone either. Merle was all he had, and Daryl didn’t even have _him_ more than half the time. Carol and her daughter needed somebody on their side. Who the hell cared if he would make it his mission to save her? Maybe in the process, she’d somehow save him too. But, that wasn’t anything to think about right now. She was still married to a bastard that needed to be eliminated from her life.

“Then, it’s settled.” Daryl nodded his point. “You and Sophia are staying here.”

“Daryl—” she wanted to protest again. Claim she was a burden. He didn’t want to hear that bull from her.

“You’re staying and I’m gonna take care of you.”

Crossing arms across her chest like a shield, Carol could only nod in agreement. Daryl’s fight depleted somewhat at the sight of her, realizing what he may sound like to her, no matter how softly he spoke his words.

“But,” he feared for what his next statement would bring, “if you want to go, you can go. Not gonna keep you here.” Daryl’s eyes fixed upon hers. He shook his head. “Not like him.”

Carol offered him a small but genuine smile. “I know.”

***

There was a war raging in Carol’s head. Part of it was trying desperately to convince her to return to Ed. She’d take the beating he’d dish out. She’d end up with a busted face and a broken bone or two. Maybe another burn mark to decorate her shoulder. She’d promise to never leave him _again_. She’d sob and paw at his legs like the pathetic creature he claimed she was. If she begged enough, threw herself at his mercy, maybe he wouldn’t lay a hand on Sophia.

The other part of her was screaming to keep as far away as possible _._ Daryl was only a customer at a greasy spoon of a diner she worked at. To most, he was plainly a redneck with not much education behind him. Carol saw that he was remarkably so much more than his outward appearance. Every visit to the diner, he’d treated her with the utmost respect and kindness. He proved to her that there were good men out there. She craved more of that goodness.

When he told Carol she could go if she wanted to – _back to Ed in her mind--_ she fought with the overwhelming need of what she’d been conditioned to do for the last 10 years of her life. She kept her gaze steady on Daryl, fought the secret battle, and won. She would stay with him. She would accept the protection of his wings and care that he generously gave.

They spent most of the day in the trailer. Sophia seemed content to watch tv and color in her coloring book when she was tired of the screen. Carol couldn’t sit still for long. She felt awkward cleaning up another person’s home, but she had to do something to keep her hands busy and her mind off things. While Daryl was out on the small front porch smoking, she dove into cleaning the kitchen. She paused when he walked back in and questioned silently if it was okay when she made eye contact with him. Daryl shrugged a shoulder giving the okay and sat down at the kitchen table.

“I don’t think it’d be smart to stop by your old man’s house for your things right now,” Daryl voiced his concern.

Carol felt absolutely gross in the clothes she’d worn for 24 hours. She needed a good showering and fresh clothing. Thankfully, she had been able to wipe off the night before. Sophia needed to be clean as well. The girl would develop a yeast infection if she didn’t change her underwear soon.

“We can go to the thrift store up on Pearl St. Been there before. They got decent stuff. Nothin’ stained or torn. Stop by the DG on the way back. Get you and Sophia some underclothes.”

Carol paused from wiping the counter. She’d already scrubbed the stove, wiped down the outside of the refrigerator, and washed and tucked away the dishes and pots from breakfast and lunch. Daryl hadn’t commented about her tidying up his home. She had his unspoken blessing to do what she wanted to do, she guessed.

“Daryl—” She had to question it again. She had to hear his explanation once more to convince her. “Why are you doing this for us? Why do you care so much? I mean, you don’t even know me.”

Daryl fixed her with his narrow gaze. “I know you’re someone that needs help. Let me ask you this, Carol—”

A flutter climbed in her chest at the sound of her name across his lips.

“Has anybody helped you before? Has anybody bothered to ask you if you were okay when there was a shiner blinding like the sun on your face?”

She averted her eyes to the floor and swallowed before answering. “No.”

He pushed off the chair and stepped up to her. “That’s why I’m helping you.” He swallowed loudly, running a hand over the stubble on his chin. “That’s why I care. It’s up to you what you do with it. Take it or leave it.”

Carol mulled over his words. It was nearly impossible to believe someone could possibly care for her. She had to chip away the wall Ed erected so strongly inside her head. She had to start today if her and Sophia were to ever have a future. She drew in a deep breath and laid the dishrag over the sink to dry, hoping her words would be answer enough. “Whenever you’re ready to go to the thrift store.”


	4. Part 4

Daryl had assumed most of his life that he was a loner. Merle was company enough. The guys he sometimes hung out with were just drinking buddies, and they caused more trouble in his life than what they were worth. He tended to keep to himself. He concluded that this was how the universe planned for him to be and he accepted that.

Daryl enjoyed talking with Carol. Their conversations came naturally. He found he also enjoyed her quiet company. They didn’t need to fill in the quiet space around them with unnecessary words.

Sophia worried him though. She hadn’t spoken a word out loud in front of him. When she talked to her Mama in his presence, she’d pull her mother down and whisper in her ear. Daryl did hear her speak a few lines that night when Carol and Sophia – adorn in their secondhand pajamas – had retired to the bedroom. He stood in the hallway and listened to the little girl speak – softly like her Mama. He reckoned it’d take a while for her to trust him. Her father had shattered any trust the poor kid had in men or maybe anybody.

Daryl didn’t know how long his guests would be there. This was only the second night, and emotions were still ramped up from the encounter at the diner. As he sat in the living room, gazing around at the clean kitchen and the blanket folded neatly on the couch and all the little touches Carol already left in her short time there, he hoped they’d stay for a long time.

***

“Do you work?”

Daryl had held down odd jobs from the moment he was legally able to work. Merle didn’t know how to keep a job more than a few weeks, so Daryl had taken it upon himself to keep what little income he could flowing in. He rather liked his latest job and the fact that it was the longest job he’d ever held down.

“I work at a garage as a mechanic,” he answered Carol as they ate breakfast the next morning. “Mostly work on bikes, but I dabble with trucks and all. I go in when I get called.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Don’t pay much, but it’s enough to get by.”

Carol rolled the deer sausage absently around on her plate. Something was on her mind. “I-I don’t know if I’ll be able to work anytime soon. I have nowhere for Sophia to go even if I could. I can’t go back to the diner.”

“I should make enough. You and Sophia already got a week’s worth-a clothes that we paid like $15 bucks for and all the bare necessities you need. I can bring home more meat when I hunt. If you don’t mind eating things like squirrel or rabbit or raccoon. The landlord keeps a vegetable garden. We can talk to him about tradin’ or somethin’. We should be okay.”

Carol didn’t look appeased. “I want to earn my keep for staying here. I can clean and cook and do laundry. I’ll mow grass if I have to.”

“Naw, don’t worry about the grass. That’s what the neighbor’s goat is for. Don’t have to pay her. The grass is all she asks for in return.”

Carol laughed – a true laugh. Daryl couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face at the lovely sound. He looked forward to hearing it again. A moment passed and her frown returned.

“Sooner or later, we’ll need to look for a place for me and Sophia to live. We can’t live here forever.”

Daryl’s stomach churned at the reality. She couldn’t stay at his place forever. Carol wasn’t his wife. She wasn’t even his woman and probably never would be. There was the matter that Ed was out there and that she was very much married to him by law. Legalities would have to come into play. Daryl wasn’t sure if she’d wish to press charges against her husband. She’d need a lawyer to divorce him…if that’s the direction she wished to proceed. It was the only route Daryl could fathom that would help move Carol and her daughter into a better future. But, all this depended on what Carol wanted.

Daryl stared at the bottom of his coffee cup as if it held the answers he sought. “Not saying you have to make up your mind today or this week, for that matter, but you gotta decide what you wanna do. Press charges against your old man. Be legally separated. Figure out what you’re gonna do with your life after all of it.”

Without prompting, Carol grabbed the coffee carafe and filled Daryl’s cup three-fourths to the rim. He now knew why she was such a diligent waitress. Her husband trained her to serve his needs well. Daryl thanked her for the refill.

Carol slipped back into her chair. She stared straight ahead, lost in thought. He heard her swallow a lump in her throat. “I can just…be for a little while. Give me some time to collect my thoughts. I’ve been under Ed’s thumb so long I don’t know how to function without him over my shoulder. I feel like I need to relearn how to live again.”

“I understand. I want you to have time for that. But you can’t wait too long. If there’s anything I know about men like Ed, he’ll be on the lookout for you.”

Her next words spent a chill down Daryl’s spine. “Wouldn’t expect anything less from him.”

***

Daryl couldn’t stay cooped up in the trailer all day. He wasn’t sure what Carol and her daughter did at home when Ed was at work, but he had a hunch they didn’t get out much. He was thankful there was land between his trailer and a fair amount of space between next door neighbors. Him and Merle were tucked away in the farthest corner of the trailer park with woods surrounding them, the way they preferred. The landlord was one of those Christian men who’d offered help to his brother multiple times to break his addictions. The landlord had dealt with his own addiction a long time ago from what Daryl gathered. The landlord didn’t so much as blink when Merle cursed him from his offers to better himself. As long as Merle didn’t cause disruption or damage within the community, they wouldn’t be evicted.

Daryl led the way to the trail he’d pounded out when they’d moved in, Carol and Sophia in tow. Sophia stuck close to her mother’s side. She kept her gaze straight ahead and squeezed Carol’s hand with an iron grip. Daryl pointed out various trees and bushes just to keep conversation going, including Sophia into his dialogue hoping to continue to show her he was an okay guy. The trail eventually opened up into a meadow. Dark orange flowers dipped with yellow tips blanketed the knee-high grass.

Daryl stole a glance at Sophia and it was in that moment he caught the wonder spreading across her face. Her grip lessened on Carol’s hand. She reached out to touch the petals of one of the flowers. Her amazement was so great, Daryl wondered if she’d ever touched a flower in her life.

“These’re called Indian Blankets,” he informed, “but sometimes they’re called Firewheels.”

Sophia tilted her face up at Carol and a shock shot up in Daryl at her murmured inquiry, “Can I, Mama?”

Carol glanced at Daryl in question, and he nodded. She shook Sophia’s hand, playfully. “Sure you can, baby.”

Sophia released her mother’s hand and trotted off into the blanket of wildflowers. Daryl watched her then looked at Carol. The most radiant smile graced her lips, as if this was the happiest moment of her entire life.

Daryl didn’t know what over came him. He barely registered his actions before he’d plucked up a flower and extended it to Carol. She stared at the flower offering, bewildered. He raised his eyebrows and gave a little nod as if to say _for you_. She smiled warmly at him in thanks, taking the flower delicately in the tips of her fingers. He’d never given a woman a flower before, never had the desire or the woman to do so. But if it made Carol happy, he’d give her a flower every day for the rest of his life.

***

Carol couldn’t remember the last time she felt joy. She’d nearly forgotten the emotion existed. Today reminded her of its presence.

Daryl had taken her and Sophia for a walk in the nearby woods. She hadn’t traversed that close to nature in years. Daryl seemed to be at home among the trees. His knowledge of the woods astounded her. He told them what every tree and bush were named. He showed them how he tracked wildlife and pointed out deer tracks that would have been completely lost to the naked eye.

When he brought them to the meadow, Carol’s breath caught. Dozens upon dozens of flowers blanketed the grass. The sight left her in awe. Her throat tightened when Sophia quietly asked her if she could wander through the flowers. The sunlight gleaned on Sophia’s blonde head, the flowers surrounding her, creating a beautiful memory that Carol would cherish.

Then, Daryl presented to her a single flower. Their silent exchange spoke more than any words ever could. Ed had given her flowers before. He’d come traipsing in with whatever bouquet he could snag at the store. He’d shove it at her, slide his palms roughly up and down her arms, and grunt out a _‘didn’t mean to’_ for whatever atrocity he’d laid upon her the night before. It’d been 5 years since he’d made an effort to even do that.

Here was Daryl. A man she’d met two months ago. A man that saved her and promised to take care of her, though it was the farthest from being his responsibility. Here he was, shyly giving her a flower in the spur of the moment. She was practically a stranger to him, but he’d given her more in a few days than Ed had in their 10 years of marriage.

Carol gazed at the two Indian Blanket flowers extending from the neck of the beer bottle on the nightstand. Sophia had picked a flower, proudly presenting it to her after she’d seen Daryl give her mother one. Seeing her daughter smile was the greatest gift she’d received. Daryl helped make that possible.

With one last gaze at the flowers to etch into her memory, Carol switched off the lamplight and snuggled close to her daughter. For the first time in years, Carol could believe in a brighter tomorrow.


	5. Part 5

Daryl wasn’t sure if he’d ever earn Sophia’s trust. The only time she’d spoken in his presence was at the meadow. She never made eye contact with him. Daryl wouldn’t give up.

He took note that she didn’t eat the deer sausage and barely touched the grits for breakfast every morning. Carol told him her daughter wasn’t a big eater. She also filled him in on more. Ed had complained at nearly every meal about Sophia wasting food and sent her to bed hungry when she didn’t eat what _he_ told her to eat. He didn’t allow anything special Sophia may have wanted. Ice cream, spaghetti rings, hot dogs. None of it was allowed. Ed saw it as wasting money – money that was spent on his alcohol instead. Carol did sneak in a half a batch of cookies when she could. She’d whip up a small batch while Ed was at work. Her and Sophia would sit in the kitchen and eat the entire pan then clean up the evidence before Ed arrived home.

Daryl got up early to visit the Dollar General down the road. When he got back, he could hear movement in the bedroom. He set the box of cereal on the table with the gallon of milk from the fridge. A bowl and a spoon joined the set up.

“Good morning,” Carol greeted in the cheery way she used to when he strolled into the diner. Sophia followed close beside her.

“Mornin’.” He wiped his hands on his jeans, not realizing how nervous he was until now. He wanted Sophia to like his gift of sugary cereal. Wanted to give her something she wasn’t allowed to have, just as he was as a kid. He understood the disappointment deep down. “Hey Sophia, got you somethin’. Thought you might like this better’n the sausage.” He gestured to her seat. “Don’t worry, I don’t take no offence in that,” he added, jokingly.

“Isn’t that nice of Daryl, honey?” Carol encouraged, guiding Sophia to her chair.

Daryl stepped away to pour him and Carol some coffee. He returned to find Carol pouring cereal in Sophia’s bowl. Sophia considered the mount of sugary corn and marshmallow bits. Carol gleaned a piece of marshmallow from the bowl and exaggerated her enjoyment of eating it. Sophia carefully grabbed her own piece. Daryl set the coffee cups down, waiting for her approval. When the tiniest of smiles crossed Sophia’s face, Daryl’s heart began to swell in victory. Carol poured milk over the cereal and Sophia ate spoonful after spoonful.

Carol glanced his way flashing him a knowing smile. She guessed what he was trying to do and she silently approved.

“Can I try some, Sophia?” Daryl asked after Sophia had downed several spoonfuls. Sophia halted her mission to empty the bowl. “I never got to eat this kinda stuff as a kid. Always wanted to try it.” He gestured to the box. “I got this for you. I don’t wanna take any if you don’t wanna share.”

He was giving her a choice. This was _her_ box of cereal. He’d gifted it to her. He dared not to take that privilege away from her.

Sophia swallowed the food she’d held in her mouth. She flicked her eyes Daryl’s direction, as close to his face as she’d ever looked. Very carefully, she slid the box his way. Daryl offered his thanks before grabbing a fistful and munching down on it. Sophia sharing her cereal with him wasn’t much, but at that moment, it meant the world to Daryl.

***

Carol didn’t want to do this. She’d slipped into a pleasant haze the past week as if she were between sleep and the waking world. She felt safe and dare to say, _happy._ She had no desire to poke the bear. But, nothing nice lasted for long. She had to take action. The sooner the better.

Carol carried Sophia on her hip on her uninjured arm’s side. Her other arm remained sore, but the soreness was fading a little each day. The bruise on her face had begun to fade as well. She stuck close to Daryl as they entered the police station. Before they could approach the front desk, an officer sauntered by. He paused and reversed his path.

“Aren’t you Dixon’s brother?” the officer inquired.

Carol eyed the man with some distrust. She immediately didn’t like his tone or his stance.

“Yeah,” Daryl answered with a defensive edge to his tone. “What’s it to you?”

The officer – Officer Walsh, Carol saw from his name tag – looked away, holding out the seconds in dramatic form. He returned his attention to Daryl. “Well, he ain’t here.”

“I ain’t here for _him_ ,” Daryl threw back. The way the officer’s attitude was going, Carol figured he may have deserved the sharp response. “I’m here for her.” Daryl thumbed toward her. “Point me in the direction of someone useful who can press charges on somebody else.”

Officer Walsh eyes Daryl incredulously before deciding to help them. He led them to a desk where another officer was seated. He looked a tad bit more reasonable.

“Hey Rick,” Officer Walsh addressed the other cop, “Merle Dixon’s brother here wants to press charges against someone.”

Carol looked between the two officers, wondering how many run-ins with the law Daryl’s brother had had. They didn’t seem as familiar with Daryl.

Daryl growled low in his throat at Officer Walsh’s choice of wording. “ _I’m_ not pressing charges on no body,” he corrected, immediately. He gestured to Carol. “This woman’s husband attacked her a week back while she was at work. I jumped in and got’er outta there before he could outright beat her in a parking lot.”

The two officers exchanged looks before Officer Walsh sauntered away. The man behind the desk – Officer Grimes – nodded for Carol to have a seat after a short exchange of names. She took the seat, shifting Sophia into her lap. Officer Grimes gazed intently at her face, most likely at the fading bruise that colored her face. Carol ducked her head, a bit ashamed.

“Tell me everything that happened, ma’am,” Officer Grimes said, carefully.

She could feel Daryl’s presence behind her. It gave her strength. “I was at work -- the Tuddle House on Fuller St. – when my husband showed up. He was trying to take our little girl back home and I didn’t want her with him. He was so angry when I had left for work that day. I feared for her.” She found it hard to swallow. “I tried stopping him in the parking lot, but he twisted my arm and slapped me and—”

“I saw it all go down,” Daryl cut in, and Carol was thankful for him taking over the story. “I stopped him. Knocked him flat on the ground and got her and her little girl outta there before the bastard could do anymore damage.”

“Are you her – boyfriend?” Officer Grimes concluded.

Daryl heaved a sigh. “Naw, man. I’m just a friend. One-a her customers at the diner. I wasn’t gonna sit there like all the other sorry asses in that place and watch a man beat his wife in front of their little girl.”

Officer Grimes contemplated their story. He leaned forward on his elbows. “Mrs. Peletier, right?” Carol nodded. “Has your husband ever turned violent toward you before?”

“Yes,” she answered in barely a whisper.

“Has he ever turned violent toward your daughter?”

Carol hugged Sophia to her, clamping a hand over Sophia’s ears. “He’s…whipped her with a belt and locked her in her bedroom.” Tears stung her eyes and she tried desperately to keep them there.

“If you give me names of who witnessed of the altercation at the diner, I’ll work on taking statements and get the ball rolling. But, I can’t guarantee that your husband will get more than a slap on the wrist without medical records to back it up the claims.”

“ _What the hell?”_ Daryl ripped out, descending upon the desk. “Her husband outright attacked her in a parking lot and you’re saying he’ll just get a slap on the wrist?”

Officer Grimes stood up, holding his hand out in front of him. His eyes sharp on Daryl. “Mr. Dixon, calm down.”

“What’s he gotta do? Put her in the hospital for you pigs to put his ass in jail?”

Officer Walsh came out of nowhere, wedging himself between Daryl and the desk. “Whoa there, Dixon.”

If looks could burn some alive, the way Daryl looked at Officer Walsh would have scorched the man to ashes.

Carol forced on Daryl’s hand trembling as he in front of her. “She’s scared for her and her little girl. She fears for her life. All you can do is guarantee her husband gets reprimanded for all the times he painted her body purple and dislocated parts of her?” He stabbed a finger through the air. “This is bull!”

Daryl spun his back on Officer Walsh. They’d attracted the attention of some other officers in the station, their watchful eyes on the situation escalating. He leaned down close to Carol’s ear, his voice softening for her. “Give the man whatever information he needs. I’ll be waitin’ for you in the truck. If I stay in here, I may do something that won’t help me or you.”

Carol nodded her understanding, but her mind screamed for him to stay. If Daryl were to do something to get himself arrested, she’d lose everything. An image of her crawling back to Ed invaded her mind. No, that could not happen and that thought gave her strength to let him leave. She had to be strong for her little girl.

Officer Grimes was careful and understanding toward her, but his insight wasn’t helpful. After he’d taken her statement and names of witnesses, he asked her to send Daryl back in for his statement. Daryl had calmed down and gave the man what information he needed. Officer Grimes told them if Ed Peletier confronted her that she should immediately call the police. Him being caught in an altercation would increase the chances of being sent to jail. Daryl muttered why it would take _that_ to believe Carol’s claim, but he chose not to confront the officer with anger like he had before.

Daryl led Carol – Sophia hanging off her hip – to the truck and opened the passenger door for them. It blew Carol’s mind that such a simple gesture as opening a door for her could mean so much. With Sophia strapped between them, Daryl started the truck. He rolled down the window and lit a cigarette outside of it.

“You okay?” he asked after his first drag.

Sophia leaned against her and Carol wrapped her arms around her. “No.”

***

“You did good today.”

Evening had set in. Sophia had fallen asleep in front of the tv before Carol could give her a bath. Her daughter was as emotionally exhausted by everything as she was, but Sophia kept it bottled inside and that worried Carol. She allowed her daughter to doze in the blissfulness of escape from their situation.

Daryl had stepped out on the front porch for a smoke. She stepped out to keep him company.

“I felt like a blubbering idiot no one believed.”

“Hey!” Daryl barked, making her gaze snap to his. “Don’t called yourself that. You call yourself that too much. You ain’t no idiot.”

Carol averted her gaze to the porch. She’d been called an idiot – among other, worser degrading names that left a sharp sting – more times than she could remember. It was a daily occurrence when living with Ed. It would take time and healing for his voice to leave her alone.

“I’m sorry.”

Daryl shook his head. “Don’t be.” He snubbed out his cigarette.

Silence fell between them. Carol stared out into the darkness. Crickets and other bugs created an atmosphere akin to a pleasure evening in the country. It soothed her a little. She looked out at the night scenery, but Daryl’s gaze was on her.

“I ain’t gonna let him hurt you.”

The words were spoken as valiantly as if they had been uttered by a courageous knight in the days of old. Carol gave him a grateful smile. She believed him with her whole heart.

Carol barely hesitated before her limps moved to pull Daryl into a hug. His body was rigid against hers. She thought she’d made a terrible mistake until he gingerly wrapped his arms around her and relaxed. Carol closed her eyes, savoring the embrace. She couldn’t recall the last time she established or received a hug from anyone but her daughter. She wondered the same for Daryl. 

She dared to nuzzle her face into his shoulder. His hand spread upon her back in a firm but gentle hold. Carol could have remained there the entire evening. No one had ever given her a sense of security -- to be safe and wanted.

All too soon, Daryl gently pulled her away. He cupped her elbow before dropped his hand but kept a close proximity. “You should get in. Get Sophia to bed. I’ll be in soon.”

“Okay.” Carol willed herself to step away before she hugged him once more. She stepped inside the trailer and paused after she’d closed the door. She shut her eyes, recording every place on her body that Daryl touched. She’d fall sleep tonight recalling how Daryl held her instead of worrying over a man that never bestowed a gentle touch upon her.


	6. Part 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who's been reading! This chapter will be a little shorter. It was attached with the next part, but I found I could split it up. There's some heavier mentions of abuse here.

Sophia was prone to night terrors.

Her screams pierced through the darkness of the trailer. The first night it happened, Daryl jumped off the couch, instantly awake and ready for a fight. He snatched up his knife and ran to the bedroom door. He listened above the pounding of his heart, trying to make out the situation in the room before he busted in. But all he heard was Sophia crying and Carol shushing her.

Daryl called out softly to make sure they were okay. With Carol’s affirmation that nothing was amiss, he walked back to the couch, stashing his knife away.

It didn’t happen every night, but Sophia’s night terrors occurred more than they should have. Daryl could imagine far too easily what she witnessed behind her eyelids, because he carried his own terrors from what seemed like a lifetime ago when he was Sophia’s age. His own mother would squash him to her chest, shushing away his fears. He grew out of them, but he never forgot.

***

They’d fallen into a pleasant routine over the last several days. Daryl made breakfast. He didn’t care if he ate the same meal every day. Food was fuel. Didn’t matter what it was. Sophia was happy with her cereal. Seeing her gobble it down made him smile. Carol insisted she was fine with what he fixed when he asked her if there was anything else she’d like to eat instead. Her tone told him she didn’t want to rock the boat anymore than she already had by just being there. He was determined to wheedle it out of her what her favorite foods were.

The mechanic’s garage had called Daryl in a few times to work. He’d voiced his concern over Carol and Sophia staying at the trailer alone. Merle could easily reappear at any moment and that would be one hell of a thing for Carol to explain alone. What concerned Daryl was what if Ed somehow found out where they were and showed up? The man wouldn’t have mercy to divvy out on his estranged wife and child. Daryl couldn’t be there to protect them. He felt better that they were with him.

When they weren’t at the garage, they were at the trailer. Daryl didn’t care to go many places. Nothing much out there for him anyways. He preferred the woods. Simple. Quiet. The trees didn’t judge you. He felt at home there. Carol and Sophia tagged along with him on most excursions. He didn’t mind. They were good company – quiet company -- and he found he liked sharing his knowledge of the woods with them. He showed off his skill with his crossbow, a little pride swelling up in him at how impressed Carol was.

Him and Carol shared supper duty. It was strange how well they worked together. Neither were used to sharing space or responsibility like that, but it worked for them.

One evening as Carol retrieved the plates from the cabinet, one slipped from her grip. It slammed into the sink, shattering into several pieces. Her sharp gasp made Daryl’s head snap up from rotating the meat in the frying pan. It was as if a switch flipped in Carol, changing her cheerful mood instantly. Her back was to him as she knelt down.

Daryl’s brow dripped in concern as her back began to heave and a sob escaped her. He switched off the stove and rushed to her. “Carol, you okay?”

“I’m sorry,” she barely pushed out in a breath. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

Daryl stood there, not knowing what the hell had happened to set her off. She wept, trying to clean up the broken pieces of plate. Filtering through the sound of her cries, his ear caught another similar noise. He turned to find Sophia wrapped in a ball on the couch, watching the whole ordeal through her own tears.

Daryl didn’t know the exact reason why this was happening, but in his gut, he had a feeling and he knew it ran deeper than being sorrowful over a broken plate. It wasn’t the plate mother and daughter were upset over. Daryl tamped down the anger rising inside him for certain person. He knelt down in front of Carol, trying as gentle as he could to show her he wasn’t angry with her.

“Hey,” he called, softly. When Carol kept her attention on the broken pieces, Daryl laid his hands atop hers. He gritted his teeth when Carol flinched under his palms. “Hey,” he tried again, and this time, she looked at him – pupils blown out like the night at the diner. “It’s no big deal. Just a plate. I’ll clean it up. Your little girl needs you.”

He held onto her and made her stand. Carol swiped at her eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and seemed to come back to herself. She scooped up Sophia and retreated to the bedroom. He waited to ask until him and Carol were alone in the living room that evening -- Sophia tucked away in bed.

“He get mad when you broke stuff,” it was a statement he was sure of.

“Yes,” her quick and blunt answer set heavy in Daryl’s chest. Carol scrubbing her face. “When I dropped that plate, it was like I wasn’t in this kitchen anymore. I was someplace else.”

Someplace else with someone completely different than him – someone Daryl had an unhealthy need to gut with his hunting knife.

“You don’t have to but if you wanna talk about it.” He wouldn’t force her to share anything she didn’t want to. He knew all too well how painful it could be to have the memories playing out in your head. To release them from the confines of your mind and into the air around you was like removing a knife set deep in you. You bleed out.

Daryl had given up on Carol responding after a couple minutes of drawn out silence. He was about to retire to the porch for a cigarette when her words cut through the air.

“My hand would shake uncontrollably some days when he was angry. Plates, cups, utensils would shake out of my hand. Didn’t matter if it broke or not. He’d call me an idiot or something far worse. He downright hated when I broke anything. He’d stand over me while I picked up the pieces. Kick the pieces at me and poke my leg hard with the toe of his shoe if I didn’t pick it up fast enough. Sophia witnessed it many times and he’d drag her to her room so he wouldn’t have to put up with her crying while _dad set mom straight_.”

“Sh-t”. Daryl fingers flexed, resisting the urge to search for Ed’s worthless ass and beat the living daylights out of him. The more stories he heard, the worse it weighted on him that Carol had been out there for years living in fear of her own husband. With no way out. An innocent woman and her daughter unnecessarily abused. Right there within the boundaries of his county.

“Carol, I don’t know how you feel ‘bout this,” and he didn’t care if he offended her – not about this, “but I _hate_ Ed Peletier’s guts.”

An unmistakable relief washed over him at her whispered reply that sounded more like a revelation. “So do I.”


	7. Part 7

“Hey Soph, hand me that tool right there. The one with the square head. Yeah, that’s it.”

Carol watched from her stool in the mechanic’s garage Daryl worked at. He’d been called in to work on a motorcycle that morning. Carol had asked Sophia that morning before they emerged from the bedroom what she thought of Daryl. Her simple answer was, _“He’s nice.”_ Carol had built upon her daughter’s answer to show how much she trusted Daryl and thought he was nice as well. It was a step in a positive direction. Maybe soon, Sophia would be comfortable enough to talk to Daryl.

Currently, Sophia was helping hand Daryl his tools. The girl had been curious as to what Daryl was doing. She’d slowly crept her way over there to where he worked. He’d laid out all his tools on the tarp and casually began asking her to hand him whichever tool he described to her in a form she’d understand. She was timid at first but when he smiled at her and thanked her heartily for the help, she didn’t hesitate to fetch what he needed. He explained to her what he was doing with such patience. Carol was overwhelmed with emotion at times with how patience Daryl was with her daughter. For someone who claimed to have absolutely no experience with kids, he knew exactly how to handle them.

“Blast it!” a yell came from the small office off to the side.

Carol slipped off the stool and peeked into the doorway. Daryl’s boss, Mr. Brock, was seated at the desk. He tossed his cell phone on the surface and skidded to a stop against his schedule book.

“Is something wrong, Mr. Brock?” she asked, cautiously. He seemed like a nice enough older man, especially if Daryl could vouch for him.

Mr. Brock snapped this attention to the doorway. It seemed like he forgot who she was, but then recognition dawned on him. “Oh, Carol, right? I’m having trouble keeping up with parts and inventory and a bit of scheduling too. My old brain just isn’t what is used to, y’know?”

Carol had only met the man a few times, but she nodded in agreement for his sake. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Mr. Brock rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. “How good are you with bookkeeping and odds and ends secretary work?”

Carol wrung her hands together. She hoped her face didn’t give away the rabbit that was currently hopping madly around in her head. She hoped she could formulate a well enough answer. “I’ve never kept books before, but I’m a fast learner.”

Mr. Brock waved her over to his desk. “C’mere. Let me show what it entails.”

Carol had been gone so long in Mr. Brock’s office that Daryl had to come looking for her. Hiccupping tiny sobs, Sophia wore teardrops on her lashes and clung to Carol when she found her.

“Sophia got upset when she couldn’t find you,” Daryl explained.

Carol’s heart ached at the thought of her daughter fearing her mother was gone. She hadn’t meant to be away that long. “I’m sorry, baby. Mommy got caught up talking to Mr. Brock.”

Daryl looked concerned. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine,” Carol answered, hoisting Sophia up into her arms. She offered Daryl a small, reassuring smile. “I may have a job.”

***

“You weren’t kidding about the goat.”

Daryl laughed to himself. “Naw. Told you she gets paid in grass, and she does a damn fine job.”

Every week or so, Daryl borrowed the neighbor’s goat to keep the grass trimmed and the weeds pulled. It got the job done. He and Carol were sitting out on the front porch watching Sophia play in the yard. She steer-cleared of the goat, who was toed to a rope on the other side of the yard, but she watched it in fascination as it munched down on the tasty blades.

Earlier in the day, Carol had been offered a job by Daryl’s boss. She hadn’t accepted it right away, needing to speak with Daryl before she made a decision. He was her single mode of transportation and she also didn’t know how he’d feel about her working at the same job site. But, Daryl couldn’t think of a better place for her to work. She would be with him and he wouldn’t worry over her safety like he would if she were anywhere else. They were also free to bring Sophia to the garage. Carol would work four days a week in the morning doing various jobs for his boss.

“Mr. Brock’s a decent guy. A little absent-minded, but decent.”

Carol pulled her legs up on the worn patio chair to hug to her torso. She made a little sound of happiness, and it reverberated in Daryl’s chest. “I can’t believe I have a job. Just this morning, I thought it would be impossible.”

He pointed at her, playfully. “Good thing you came to work with me.”

“I’ve never had a job like this,” she mused, “The diner was the first place I had worked since before me and Ed married. I’d worked in a coffee shop for a few years before that.” The lightness in her tone began to fade as she recounted memories gone by, her gaze straight ahead. “He never wanted me to work. He preferred I stay home – isolated. Take care of the house and _his_ needs. It wasn’t until a few months back that out of nowhere he demanded I help contribute to our finances.”

She filled the space between them with a beat of silence. Daryl didn’t respond. The air around him told him she had more to say. He could feel it radiating from her.

“Even then, he wasn’t satisfied. I was coming home late and in a lighter mood than I usually am around him. He was growing suspicious. Of what? I’m not sure. Maybe because being away from him made me feel better and it showed. That was the reason he was in a worse mood that night. That’s why I feared leaving Sophia with him. That’s why he showed up at the diner. Sophia was only an excuse to expel his anger toward me. He was losing control, no matter how much of a sliver it was.”

Daryl mulled over everything she had just shared. Any little detail Carol told him about Ed sent a fresh wave of fury ripple through him. “He don’t deserve you. He don’t deserve Sophia. Bastard didn’t know what he had. Don’t care.”

They watched Sophia in companionable silence as she gathered rocks and other treasures in the yard. Daryl squirmed a bit at the nervousness that had set in. Carol and Sophia had only been there for the better part of two weeks, but it had seemed like a lifetime for him. A lifetime that he wanted to keep going. When he’d walked into the diner over two months ago and was welcomed by a waitress with a kind smile and buzzed head, it never occurred to him that he would fall for her – and that he would fall like a boulder off a cliff plunging into the ocean. He couldn’t – he wouldn’t – complicate matters right now with gestures of physical affection that he was unsure she’d return. Their hug from the other night nearly drove him over the edge. He could have held her the rest of the night. He would have dared to place a kiss upon her lips. He’d pulled away before his body could betray his control.

This was all new to Daryl. He never had the desire to be in a relationship. He’d hung out with a few girls in his late teens and early twenties, mostly girls his drinking buddies caroused with. When he was 20, one of the girls had taken an interest in Daryl. She’d led him to a hallway in someone’s house and made out with him. She tasted like beer and cigarettes, but so did he. She’d palmed his crotch aggressively until he shot off before they could get anywhere beyond the barriers of clothing. The girl had laughed at him and left him there to stew in his own juices.

Daryl decided right there that he didn’t need anyone. He concluded he would never score a good woman. What decent woman would want a useless redneck like himself? If he couldn’t have a decent woman then he didn’t bother having one at all. He’d lived just fine with that life decision. Until he’d met Carol…

His stomach churned. He wished to say so much more. “You can stay here as long as you need. Long as you _want_ ,” he reminded her, because she needed the reminder often.

Carol gave a slight shake of her head, immediately jumping into her go-to response. “I don’t want to be a burden--”

“ ** _I_** want you to stay,” he cut her off, emphasizing the message he hoped to get across to her.

The loveliest smile graced Carol’s lips. She reached over to rest her hand atop his. She nodded. “I _want_ to stay.”


	8. Part 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters so far. Thank you to anyone who's been keeping up with this fic! :)

There were three bedrooms in the trailer. Merle, being the older brother that he was, claimed the master bedroom before they even set foot in the dwelling. Daryl didn’t care. He didn’t need anything fancy. A room was a room – a place to lay his head and store his few possessions.

He claimed the second largest bedroom at the end of the hallway on the other side of the trailer. He didn’t have much. A simple frame of a bed, a short chest of drawers, and a nightstand. His mother’s antique lamp, one of the only belongings of hers his old man miraculously didn’t break, sat in a place of honor on the nightstand.

The third bedroom, located beside his in the hallway, was ridiculously small. Some walk-in closets were bigger than it. Odds and ends were stored in there, mostly comprising of hunting and camping gear. It’d be too small for both Carol and Sophia. If they were there for the long haul, they’d need a bigger space than that. He knew what he had to do.

One afternoon, Daryl started cleaning out the small bedroom. The hunting gear that was lying around in no particular order finally received a proper storage in the closet. Daryl spread out the sleeping bags he and Merle used to camp with. If there was one thing Daryl spent money on for quality when they had any money to spare, it was their camping and hunting gear. The sleeping bags were thick and made a comfortable pallet on the floor that Daryl could live with until he could afford another mattress.

He emptied out his chest of drawers, which didn’t have much in it to begin with, and stuffed his underclothes in a battered tote him and Merle picked up off the side of the road one day. He folded his jeans and shirts and laid them in stacks on the floor.

Carol had protested about running him out of his bedroom. She’d insisted taking the third, unfurnished bedroom, but Daryl was having none of it. For once in his life, he felt like he was doing something right. Maybe helping Carol would amend for all the years of wasting his life just going through the motions and surviving, not contributing anything to society or the world in general. He was living for more than himself or his purposeless brother now.

Being this close to the other bedroom, he could hear Sophia speaking through the thin drywall. He couldn’t hear every word, but there was a twinge in his chest every time he heard her talk. Daryl wanted the best for the little girl. He understood the hardships of living with an abusive father. He knew the terror. The fear. It lingered in his bones, though he hadn’t had to fear his old man for many years. Sophia was young. If she escaped the abuse now, maybe it wouldn’t scar her as badly. Daryl would do whatever was in his power to shield her from further damage.

Daryl never lingered on how he felt about kids. He knew he’d likely never have any of his own. Without a good woman to love and establish a life with, there was no chance of that. He hardly had any experience being around kids either. But, being around Sophia had been remarkably easy for him, easier than he ever imagined. He surprised himself with the little ideas of what he could do for her. He found he wasn’t just doing things to gain her trust. He genuinely enjoyed making her happy.

One day at work, Mr. Brock pointed out a bag of items he was donating to a thrift store. He mentioned to Daryl that Carol could riffle through it and see if there was anything in there she could use. A few of items had belonged to his granddaughter when she was younger. Daryl thanked him and noted to tell Carol later. On one of his smoke breaks, curiosity crept up on him and before he knew it, he was rummaging through the bag. There were some girls’ clothes that looked too big for Sophia. He’d let Carol choose if she wanted to keep them and store away for her daughter. There were some women’s clothes as well, a size or two larger he guessed than Carol’s size. Some of the shirts she might be able to use.

Cocooned inside the clothes, Daryl pulled out a solid object with a soft covering. He furrowed his brow at what appeared to be a green bug toy. The head was hard plastic with a little sleep cap on top. The body seemed to be some kind of worm or caterpillar. He stared at it for a good minute before his memory was jogged. The toy was a Glo-something. Worm, maybe? He remembered seeing commercials for it on tv as a kid. He was too old for that type of toy when it was released. He had no hope of receiving one even if he wanted one anyway. His old man would have called him the degrading nickname – _Darylina_ \-- for wanting something like that. Remembering that nickname still pissed him off.

Sophia was a little girl, and she deserved a cuddly toy that glowed. It could soothe her during nights when her terrors reared their ugly heads. Daryl located a brown paper bag big enough for the toy to fit and walked out to the truck to hide it behind the driver’s seat. He planned to give it to her this evening, right before her bedtime.

He replaced the batteries. Thankfully, the old batteries had been removed so that no corrosion developed. The GloWorm lit up as soon as he switched it on. Satisfied, Daryl stuffed it back in the paper bag and made his way to the trailer.

Carol was about to tuck Sophia in. The girl had become comfortable enough where she didn’t need her mother to lay with her every evening until she fell asleep. Carol promised she was right outside the door. That she would keep her safe and Daryl keep her mother safe. Daryl felt a swelling in his chest at those words. It was proof that he was doing something important – keeping the little girl and her mother safe. On nights Sophia’s fears couldn’t be soothed by promises alone, Carol laid with her until she fell into sleep. It was on those nights Daryl hoped the cuddly glowing toy would help.

“Time for bed, sweetheart,” Carol announced, switching the tv off as if this was her home. The corner of Daryl’s lip tugged at the satisfaction of the thought. Him and Carol would retire to the front porch for a while. He’d grown fond of their evenings conversating in the dark.

“Hold up,” Daryl called. Mother and daughter paused. He slyly hid the toy behind his back. He knelt in front of Sophia. She looked at him now without averting her eyes -- _progress_. Daryl gave her a friendly smile. “Got somethin’ for you, Soph. Somethin’ you can cuddle at bedtime.” Daryl presented the toy to her. “He’s a real good cuddler too, I hear. Watch this.” He flicked the switch and the toy began to glow a soft white light. “For you.” He held it out for her to take.

Sophia peered at the toy as it glowed on and off in a slow pulse. Daryl could see the gears moving in her head, rationalizing the gift. She tilted her face up to quietly ask her mother’s permission. When Carol nodded, she shyly reached out for it. She swept her little palm over the night cap the worm wore, running the yarn tassel at the end between her fingertips. She hugged the toy to her then tucked it securely in the crevice of her arm.

“What do you say, Sophia?” Carol hinted.

Daryl suddenly froze, not expecting what came next. Sophia’s free arm wrapped around his neck. His breath seized up. _This_ was happening. He gently wrapped one arm around Sophia’s tiny body to return the _thank you_ hug. She never touched him. Never spoke to him. She only just begun to look him in the face. Here she was, hugging him! Daryl glanced up at Carol. Her hands covered her mouth and her eyes were brimming.

All the effort. All the gentle work Daryl diligently put in to gain Sophia’s trust was paying off. To be hugged by a little girl and to see her Mama filled with happiness over such a simple gesture. Every single second was worth it.

***

“He calls me Soph.”

“You don’t like that?”

“I like it,” Sophia confirmed.

Carol loved hearing her daughter’s tender voice. Sophia had been conditioned from an early age -- from birth really -- to be quiet. The quieter she was, the less likely her father would notice her. When Carol heard her speak, it made her day.

“Mommy?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

Sophia gazed at the glowing worm, her fingers caressing it reverently. “Why is Daryl nice and Daddy isn’t?”

Carol’s heart broke. No mother should have to explain this to her child. “Because some people are good. And nice. But, some people are not. I’m sorry your daddy isn’t good or nice.”

Sophia hugged the toy, her chin resting on the GloWorm’s nightcap. She frowned deeply, concentrating really hard. “I wish Daryl was my daddy.”

Carol’s lips parted, the statement striking her speechless. Sophia talked about Daryl sometimes, more and more each day, Carol noted. She was thankful her daughter felt secure with him. That Sophia was being exposed to what a _good man_ truly was. From what she’d observed, Carol guessed that Daryl would do anything in his power for Sophia if she asked. Daryl being Sophia’s daddy was a wonderful thought. A part of her, Carol tried to quiet down, wished it were true. But, it wouldn’t hurt to indulge a little. Just a little.

“Me too, baby.” She kissed Sophia’s forehead. “Me too.”

***

“She like her worm?” Daryl asked as Carol stepped out to join him on the porch. She looked forward to their evening routine. She didn’t remember how the evening routine had started, but she was glad it did. Sitting out there with Daryl in the dark left a warm tide washing over her. The warmth flowed through her stirring up a boldness inside that moved Carol to scoot her chair closer to Daryl’s.

“She adores it.”

Daryl tilted his head, slightly. “Really?”

“Yes!” Carol chuckled at his disbelief. She pondered her next statement. “She also likes when you call her _Soph_.”

“She said that? Ain’t pullin’ my leg, are you?”

Carol held up her hands as if to physically show him they were empty. “Her words. She likes you, Daryl, and it may not be as obvious, but she trusts you too. She’s seen you take care of us over the last few weeks. She can see the difference between you and her father. She knows you’re good.”

Daryl shook off her words. Even in the dimness around them, Carol could feel a shadow descending on him. He shifted, stiffly. “I ain’t good.”

Carol had witnessed the bad and the ugly. She knew what love was _not._ She knew what a good man was _not_. It made her senses sensitive to what _was_. Daryl _was_ that good man.

She crawled off her chair to kneel beside Daryl, her arms leaning against his leg. He watched her with a sense of caution. She tentatively reached her hand to his face. Daryl flinched when her fingertips brushed the hair from his forehead, but on her second try, he kept still.

“You’re a good man, Daryl Dixon. The best man I have ever met.”

“Don’t have much to compare me to.” He sounded awfully sure of his statement.

Carol pursed her lips. She knew exactly who he assumed she was comparing him to. “Don’t put yourself that low. You are just as good as any man that does right by his family. _Any_ of them.”

Carol pushed off her knees to lean over him. He needed a caring touch to know someone genuinely cared about him. Daryl held still as stone as she pressed a tender kiss to his temple.

He caught her hand before she could leave his space. “I’ll start believing that when you stop believing what _he_ thinks you are.”

Carol gave him a sad smile and nodded. Daryl didn’t release the hold of her hand, a far contrast from the iron grip Ed used. She wished Daryl would never let go. 

“Stay with me.” His request shot through to her heart. The way he said it. The way he presented it. The yearning in his eyes was not lost to Carol. It may have been a simple request to remain on the porch with him, but the meaning behind it was bounded far deeper.

Carol squeezed the hand that still held hers. She claimed her seat once more. “I’m not going anywhere.”


	9. Part 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of an inner musings chapter for Carol and Daryl. Hope it's enjoyable!

Carol’s police report was currently under investigation. Officer Grimes had informed her that once the investigation was complete that if she wished to press charges at that time, they would move forward. Daryl growled about the police dragging their feet, but Carol reckoned these matters took time.

Divorce was Carol’s only option to attain freedom from the abuse. She spent her nights awake in bed, examining her life. Once upon a time, she loved Ed – or at least she convinced herself of that. She was alone in the world after both her parents died – first her father when she was a teenager then cancer claimed her mother a few years later. She lost her childhood home to medical bills that her meager pay at the coffee shop couldn’t make up for. She was left emptyhanded. No skills, except basic Home Ec. No college education.

A friend at the coffee shop had offered her a place to stay until she could get back on her feet. Somewhere along the few months she lived at her friend’s house, she’d met Ed. They’d gone to high school together. Ed was in the grade above her. He’d been on the football team, though Carol remembered he mostly warmed the bench. He was familiar and he seemed interest in her. She’d hardly dated in high school, and by the time she’d graduated, her life revolved around work and caring for her ill mother.

She was enamored with Ed. He took her to the pool halls to watch him play for hours into the night. She’d watch him as she sat on a stool nearby, sipping on his vodka and coke he gave her permission to drink. He brought her places. Some were rather unsavory, but sometimes it was a nice place, like a steakhouse. Ed favored the highlights of life: the latest big screen tv, the best foods, liquor, sports game tickets. Carol was fine with him spending money on what he wanted. He earned the money. He deserved to spend it.

The only thing he ever splurged on her was for her engagement ring. He proposed in the parking lot of his favorite pool hall at 2 in the morning. Carol laughed in delight and accepted the ring, not bothered by the fact that Ed didn’t get down on one knee or the rowdy hoard of people exiting the pool hall as he presented the ring to her. Ed had proclaimed loudly to the other patrons loitering around vehicles that he was to have _a wife._ Not how much to loved Carol. Not how happy he was that they were getting married. He was to have _a wife_.

Carol regretted not seeing the signs or the red flags she’d vaguely been aware of. They were married within a few months, and within a couple years, Ed had isolated her to the point where her world revolved solely around him. When Carol tried to speak with him about it, that was the first time he laid a hand on her. It wasn’t much. Just a hand wrapped around her thin wrist. Just a firm squeeze to remind her that she was his. It wasn’t much, really. Not the first ten times or even the first twenty times. The moment he slapped her across the face and left a blooming bruise on her cheek, Carol finally admitted to herself what was happening. By then, it was too late.

But, it wasn’t too late--

Carol combed her fingertips through Sophia’s hair, the little girl sound to sleep next to her. This was her chance to break free. This was her chance to give her daughter a life without living in fear. This was her chance to find real—

Carol halted her musings. Daryl was the first man – the only other man besides Ed – that she’d ever been attracted to. Her attraction to Ed was debatable, though, now that she picked over it with a fine-toothed comb.

Daryl was gentle. He gave her choices. He promised and kept his promise to take care of her. He treated Sophia almost as if she were his own and had given her daughter more attention in three weeks than her own father had in five years. The way he looked at Carol as if she were a work of art he gazed upon at a museum. He listened to her – truly listened and conversated with her.

His way of life was simple. He had no need for big screen tvs or sports game tickets. He had his crossbow and the woods and that was good enough for him. She was enjoying his way of life, adapted to it far better than she ever could have imagined. It didn’t hurt as well that Daryl was particularly easy on the eyes. He may have appeared to be just another redneck in cut-off sleeves and torn-at-the-knee jeans, but to her, he was possibly the most attractive man she’d laid eyes on.

Carol couldn’t linger on those thoughts. Her situation was complicated. She was in no position to start a new relationship when she wasn’t even detached from her current one. She didn’t know how to properly manage a relationship anymore, but she was learning every day, even if it was just a friendship. Daryl made it easy, or maybe it was because they clicked so well. She wasn’t sure if Daryl had any interest in her as more than a friend. But when he gazed at her with such adoration that was not lost to Carol, she wondered – maybe he wanted more too.

***

Daryl wasn’t always the cleanest person. Working as a mechanic, the lingering smell of grease and gas and whatever the hell an _engine_ smelled like hung on him after work. When he wasn’t working, he traipsed through the woods. Sweat and nature naturally clung to him. Sometimes even the metallic scent of blood was mixed in. It was in his clothes. On his skin. He didn’t honestly stink, but he carried certain smells that was simply _him_.

Carol was learning that.

She didn’t mind the way he smelled. It was distinctively him. It was a whole lot better than the beer and cigarettes and unexplained scent that followed Ed around and reeked in their house. At least, Daryl’s derived from nature and an honest living.

The first time Carol inquired of the washer and dryer, she insisted on washing Daryl’s clothes along with hers and Sophia’s. It was the proper thing to do given that he was offering her food and shelter and protection. It was the least she could do to repay him. A shrug of the shoulder along with a passing _alright_ was all the permission he provided. The trailer didn’t have a hamper. Apparently, tossing dirty clothes into the washer until they were needed sufficed well enough for Daryl and his brother.

Carol had proceeded with the chore that first time one morning not long after arriving. Chores gave her a normalcy that she greatly needed. For the most part, she’d perfected housework. The first few years after marrying Ed, she’d lived in fear of keeping up the house to his standards. She’d overwork herself until she fell into exhaustion. Somehow, she finally learned to pace herself and the routine became second nature. It was like her body moved on its own accord to achieve what Ed would approve. Her muscle memory could work even when her brain chose not to. Laundry was one of the many chores she could do in such a way.

Carol had pulled out the clothes from the dryer, the warmth of them radiating on her skin as she carried the bundle to the bedroom to sort. What she didn’t bargain for while folding was the underthings. It completely slipped her mind that Daryl work underthings of his own – boxers, to be precise. She had no desire to touch Ed’s unmentionables. She’d quickly fold them and stash them away in his drawer. But, for some crazy reason, Carol had paused when she snagged one of Daryl’s boxers. She held the pair up, a warm blush spreading along her cheeks. They were a bit ragged, snagging in one spot by the crotch. She’d examined the pair of boxers for far longer than what was necessary, if it was even necessary at all. Her mind drifting on its own to what Daryl possibly looked like with just his boxers on. Carol finally shook her head free of the unexpected daydreaming, quickly folding the pair and starting a pile for the next one.

She’d get used to folding his laundry. It would become second nature after a few weeks, and it did. But, sometimes, her fingers would linger on his clothes – fold them just so with care. It’s what he deserved.

***

Daryl didn’t grow up in a happy family. His old man was a worthless pile of crap. He barely did anything to support his family – a family that he proclaimed he never wanted in the first place. When he was younger, Daryl wondered why the hell his old man even got married in the first place. He never got to ask his Mama that question. She wasn’t in the best shape when he was a kid. She had demons of her own. But, she provided hugs and tried her best to work around her depression and continual beat downs to show Daryl that he was loved at least by one person in the entire world.

Merle wasn’t as close to their Mama as he was. Daryl didn’t know what happened within the years before he existed, but it seemed their Mama hadn’t coddled Merle as much. Maybe he was too much like their old man, or maybe their Mama’s depression paralyzed her to the point where she couldn’t be what she needed to be for him. But she tried harder with Daryl. Maybe she sensed he was softer, and that softness needed to be nurtured to thrive. As bad as his childhood played out, one thing had at least been done right.

His Mama couldn’t give everything for him. One time, Daryl couldn’t remember if he was 6 or 7 years old, he’d begged his Mama for a pack of Oreo cookies. A school friend of his had given him one during lunch and he’d wanted more. His Mama shushed him and told him there was only enough money in her wallet to buy cigarettes. That moment had been tucked away in his mind, not seeing the light of day, until he was wandering around the dollar store with Carol and Sophia.

They had frequented the store often since mother and daughter had moved in. Daryl told Sophia she could pick out anything she wanted. The girl looked at him as if he’d morphed into alien. She wasn’t used to that freedom. It took her young mind a few moments to process. As always, Carol had told him he didn’t have to do this, because she apparently hadn’t become accustom to that freedom as well.

Daryl was finding a form of happiness in spoiling Sophia. He’d never been spoiled and neither had she. As much as she wasn’t his responsibility, he didn’t care, nonetheless. He could do what he wanted with his money and this was what he wanted to do.

Sophia scanned the shelves, taking in all the colorful packaging and delicious looking goodies they sported. She looked up at Daryl and pointed to a blue package, shining him a small smile. Daryl couldn’t stop the chuckle that caught in his throat. She’d picked Oreo cookies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The oreo idea was taken from my dad's life. He'd gone to the store with my MawMaw as a kid and begged her for oreos, but she only had enough money for cigarettes. Thought the idea fit well for Daryl's backstory!


	10. Part 10

Almost four weeks had passed, and Carol wondered if Daryl’s brother would ever return. Daryl confirmed that Merle let the wind carry him wherever it pleased his fancy. It must have been an inciting fancy this go around. That, or his brother had gotten himself killed. Carol’s brow furrowed every time Daryl brought up the subject of his brother being dead. He acted like the idea didn’t bother him. Blew it off like he expected it, and he maybe he did, from what Carol had gathered. But, she knew it had to bother him deep down. How could it not?

Carol had grown comfortable in the trailer, even without Daryl present. He’d go out to hunt for supper meat some days. Wildlife was never on the menu before this, but these weeks with Daryl she’d found -- with a bit of guilt attached -- Carol enjoyed eating rabbit. Daryl, of course, did all the dirty work within the outskirts of the tree line. She’d fry it up.

It was one of these afternoons that Daryl was out hunting. Carol tidied up while waiting for him, the trailer feeling quite homely with Carol’s touches here and there. Sophia was in the bedroom playing with the zoo animal toys they’d picked up at the thrift store. She’d grown quite comfortable at the trailer as well. She’d shy away and practically hide whenever Ed arrived home. She’d practiced the same habit for the first week or so living with Daryl, but that had slowly changed. She no longer felt the self-preservative need to hide away.

The roar of a motorcycle bounced off the trailer, but Carol didn’t pay much attention to it. Motorcycles could be loud and echo-y. It was probably someone visiting a neighbor.

Footfalls climbed the porch steps and then the front door opened. Carol looked up, smiling at who she presumed would be Daryl. She froze, the smile vanishing.

“Who the hell’re you!?”

Carol stared at him, mouth gaping. She blinked, her brain trying to catch up and stumbled out, “Hi…Merle. I’m Carol. Do you may remember from the diner on Fuller St.”

Merle looked positively blank for a good beat before a look of dawning finally crossed his features. “Oh, the waitress! From that place that served the good sh-t.” A sly smirk spread on his face. “Lookit my baby brother, gettin’ him some. Been worried for years that he weren’t right. He’s proved me wrong!”

Carol quickly tucked away Merle’s curious comment to ponder on later. “It’s-it’s not like that—”

Merle wasn’t convinced. He continued to glow with pride. “My baby brother gettin’ some-a that sweet pu—” Merle cut off instantly at the sight of something behind Carol. His eyes bugged out, comically rivaling a cartoon character. “ _Sh-t!_ How long I been gone?”

Carol pushed Sophia behind her as the little girl clung onto her leg. Carol wasn’t afraid Merle would hurt them – Daryl never mentioned his brother was dangerous in that way, but she didn’t trust him either. “This is my daughter. Daryl is helping us.”

Merle’s face screwed up in a sneer. “I leave and come back to my baby brother takin’in a charity case.” He shook his head, disapprovingly, as he plopped down in his recliner. “Don’t surprise me. He’s always been the sweet one.”

“Daryl is a good man,” Carol stated, staying planted in her spot in the kitchen. Sophia clung to her leg like a koala in a tree.

“Where is my lil’ brother, mind I ask?”

“Out hunting for something for supper.”

“He better bring back a fat, juicy coon ‘cause Merle here is starvin’.” He eyed Carol in a way that sent a shiver up her back. “Why don’t’cha bringing me a beer, lil’ lady, while we wait.”

Carol nodded her response. She could fetch a beer. It became a talent of hers while living with Ed. What she didn’t like, though, for the first time since she set foot in the threshold, she felt uncomfortable in Daryl’s home. Merle’s gaze followed her as she walked to the fridge -- Sophia clutching her shirt as she stuck close to her side – and brought him a beer.

Merle held up the bottle as if he were toasting her. “Thanks, sugar. I could get used to having service ‘round here.” He winked at her.

Carol made some distance between them, making her way back to the kitchen table to sit with Sophia on her lap. She willed Daryl to magically appear at the door. She wasn’t scared of Merle. Daryl had assured her that his brother wasn’t a bad person, per se, but he was a hard pill to swallow. He spoke too much and didn’t think half the time what rambled out of his mouth. His speech and use of words made her uncomfortable, more so for her daughter than herself. But, he hadn’t said anything particularly derogative since Sophia entered the scene. He even thanked her for the beer, which added a tiny credit his way.

Footfalls pounded outside on the steps and with more gusto than needed, the front door swung open. It slammed into the wall, causing Sophia to jump in Carol’s arms. Daryl shadowed the doorway, looking a bit wild. His sights set on his brother, who happily sipped his beer.

“Well, hey there, lil’ brother. You playin’ house while ole’ Merle been gone?”

***

Daryl lived in an opportune location. The woods behind the trailer provided a bountiful amount of wildlife that he could walk right out his front door and hunt. It usually didn’t take him long to spy a squirrel or rabbit. If he were lucky, he’d nab a raccoon or opossum. Deer hunting was saved for deeper travels into the woods. Sometimes warranting weeklong camping.

He wasn’t too far out when he heard the familiar grumble of his brother’s motorcycle. His back snapped straight involuntarily as he froze in place. Carol and Sophia were at the trailer. No telling what frame of mind Merle was in. If he were clean, maybe he wouldn’t frightening them too much. But, if he were on something – which Daryl would be surprised the dumbass could steer that bike in a straight line – there was no telling how he would react to finding a woman and child in his domain.

Daryl stuffed his two kills – a rabbit and squirrel – in his sack and high-tailed it toward the trailer. Sure enough, a motorcycle was parked in yard, the engine popping as it cooled. Daryl hopped the porch stairs in one leap and with more strength than he meant to use, he barreled through the doorway.

Daryl probably looked as wild as he felt, his adrenaline continuing to pump profusely through his body. Merle’s comment about playing house snapped him out of his frenzy and he peered around in search of Carol and Sophia. He found them at the kitchen table, looking a bit rattled but okay.

“You okay?” he directed at Carol.

Carol nodded, holding Sophia close. “We’re fine.”

“She’s been a good lil’ host,” Merle remarked, jiggling his beer bottle in the air.

Daryl glared at his brother. “Need to talk to you. _Outside._ ”

He wasn’t surprised his brother had already taken advantage of Carol. Merle took a long swig of his beer before removing himself from the recliner. They stepped out onto the porch, Daryl shutting the door.

Merle was already digging out a cigarette. “You gonna fill me in on why Sinead O’Connor and her offspring is livin’ in our trailer?”

Daryl resisted scolding Merle for the name calling but decided to just correct him. “That’s Carol, and she needed help.”

“And why does she need _your_ help, Daryl? She come crying to you with a sob story, my sweet baby brother – always the soft one. Beggin’ for help because her man abandoned her in this scary world with a kid to raise?”

Daryl’s gaze cut through his brother. He kept his voice strong, prepared to take on this fight. “Her old man _beat_ on her. Left bruises on her. Screwed up her arm. Did things that I don’t even know about yet but can put the pieces together. He attacked her in the parking lot of that diner. Right in front of their little girl. I couldn’t stand around and let that happen.” He drew in a sharp breath. “Not like with Ma.”

Merle visibly bristled at the mention of their mother. He shook it off quickly. “So, you needin’ to be the knight in shining armor for this woman since you couldn’t be that for our Ma.”

“Maybe I am.” Daryl ducked his head for a moment. “But, it ain’t just that.”

A knowing grin spread over Merle’s face. “You sweet on her, huh?”

Daryl blew out a frustrated breath. He didn’t want to get into this with Merle – not when he wasn’t sure what him and Carol were. “It’s not like that.”

Merle tipped his head toward him. “But you want it to be. You know she gotta kid.”

“I know that, dumbass. Sophia deserves a safe place just as much as her Mama. Kid seen too much in her life already.”

“I ain’t one for people invading _my_ space.”

“Your space?” Daryl released a humorless laugh. “I’m the one that pays the rent. I’m the one that holds down a damn job to get us by!”

Merle took a step toward him, chest puffed. Daryl knew what he was trying to pull. He wasn’t falling for it. “You kickin’ me out, baby brother? Good ole’ Merle?”

“Good-for-nothin’ Merle,” Daryl bit back, but the fight wasn’t as strong. “Why don’t’cha go to Andrea’s for a while.”

Merle’s eyebrows peaked at Daryl’s suggestion to go to the personally owned halfway housing a local attorney owned – a female attorney Merle was sweet on but didn’t stand a chance in hell of winning her.

“Until I can figure things out for Carol and her little girl,” Daryl continued. “Don’t think they’d be comfortable with you around, most of all Sophia. I’m makin’ progress with her. Tryin’ to get’er to trust me. I don’t wanna mess that up.”

Merle’s rough features softened a smidge. He seemed to mull over Daryl’s words. “The girl? She had it rough? ”

“Her old man beat her Ma,” Daryl spat out the obvious. “What’da _you_ think?”

Merle shook his head, a sound of resolve gurgling in his throat. “Can’t believe I’m fallin’ for this boo-hoo sh-t. You got your wish, baby brother. I’ll go to Andrea’s, if she’ll have me. But, that woman can’t stay forever. Remember that.” He slapped Daryl on the back, harder than necessary. “Have fun playin’ house while you can.”

***

Merle had traipsed back into the trailer, making a beeline for his bedroom. Carol had sent Sophia back into their bedroom while she waited for the verdict. Daryl walked in the front door right behind his brother, and Carol eyed him questioningly.

“Is your brother staying for supper, at least?” Carol asked in an attempt to soothe things. “I don’t want him to feel put out.”

“Naw, he’s good,” Daryl played it off. “He needs to mosey on to where he’s going.”

Carol stepped over to Daryl, leaning in and speaking as softly as she could, “I don’t want to put a wedge between you two. He’s your brother. I couldn’t do that.”

Daryl bit the inside of his cheek, contemplating on something – memories, perhaps – gone by. He shook his head. “If 35 years of a sh-t life together didn’t shove a wedge between us, ain’t nothing will.”

It wasn’t the reassurance Carol was seeking, but it would have to do. Merle wasn’t the most stand up citizen. From what she’d gathered, him and Daryl stuck together because they were all they had – half the time Merle wasn’t even present for that.

“Don’t you worry ‘bout Merle,” Daryl continued, not as softly as Carol had spoken. “He knows how to tie his own damn bootstraps.”

Merle emerged from the bedroom carrying a small brown sack. Carol snapped her head at Daryl, surprise catching her, when he let out an irritated growl. He was zeroed in on the sack. Carol could put two and two together as to what was small enough to fit inside.

Merle paused, staring straight at Carol. She felt the hairs on her neck stand up at his piercing gaze. “Take good care of my baby brother, waitress.” With that, he moseyed out the door.


	11. Part 11

Andrea Harrison was a local defense attorney. She represented Merle on a couple of occasions in court. She was as good as any run-of-the-mill defense attorney. What made Andrea Harrison different, though, from other attorneys was the halfway house she oversaw. Some of her clients needed help after their trials or court dates, and the program she could provide would give them that help. She’d convinced Merle to come to her halfway house, get help for his drug addiction. She was the only damn person to convince him he had a problem. Granted, Merle slid back into his old habits after a while, but at least Daryl knew someone out there could break through his brother’s troubled habits.

For some unfathomable reason – it truly was the mystery of the universe -- Andrea had a soft spot for Merle. Daryl didn’t know how she treated the other wayward souls in her small community, but she seemed to have taken special interest in his brother. That’s why Daryl sent Merle packing to Andrea’s halfway house. She wouldn’t turn his brother down. But, Daryl needed something else from Andrea Harrison that possibly only she could provide.

Andrea heaved a deep sigh at the sight of Daryl shadowing the door of her office. “Another Dixon brother,” she remarked, “Don’t tell me you need a place to crash too.”

“Naw.” Daryl shook his head once, the collar of the one and only nice button-up shirts he owned rubbing against his neck. “Need your help but not for me or my brother.”

Andrea waved him in. Daryl shut the door behind him and took a seat. “What’s going on?”

“I’d be much obliged if you could point me the direction of a divorce lawyer that will work for free.”

Something dawned on Andrea’s face. “Is this for a woman and her child you’re helping?”

“Yeah.”

Andrea released a disbelieving ‘huh’. “I assumed Merle made that story up so he could come back here. I’d planned to send him home today.”

Daryl scooted to the edge of the chair, determination radiating from him. “This woman – Carol – her husband been treatin’ her wrong for 10 years.” Daryl explained to her some examples of what Carol experienced and how she came about living with him. “She wants out. Needs out if she’s ever gonna be free of that sonofa—”

Andrea held up a hand to stop him before he got heated. “I can point you in a direction. I can’t guarantee anything.”

Daryl’s brow creased deeply.

Andrea sighed. “But, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll handle the case myself.”

“You can do that – be a different kinda lawyer and all?”

Andrea shrugged. There was no law that said she couldn’t be. “Nothing says I can’t try. Bring Carol here. Let me speak with her. See what we’re up against.” She leaned back in her chair, examining Daryl as if he were a puzzle she was trying to piece together. “Why didn’t you bring her with you?”

Daryl frowned. “Didn’t want to get her hopes up before I knew someone could help.” The weight of that statement hung on his shoulders. Andrea could tell just by looking at him how much he cared for this woman. “Her and her little girl been through too damn much already. Wanna see to it that she gets everything she needs to build a new life. A better life.”

Those words struck a chord in Andrea. She could call up an associate and ask for their services, but she doubted any of them would do it for free. She didn’t confirm to Daryl, but she knew right there that she would take the case – because for some crazy reason she could never explain – she had a soft spot for the Dixon brothers. And if this woman was in such a tightly dangerous situation, Andrea wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if she turned down the case.

“I’ll do everything I can to help,” she assured. “Bring Carol by to meet me as soon as possible and we’ll discuss matters.”

Daryl nodded his thanks and stood up to leave but paused as an afterthought. “What’a ‘bout Merle? Don’t want him ‘round Sophia -- the little girl. You know how he can be.”

Andrea nodded. “I understand. Don’t worry. He can stay here for now.” She flicked the corners of her mouth up as if accepting a challenge. “Besides, I think Merle needs another round of getting his act together.”

***

“Are you divorcing him?”

Carol’s spine snapped to attention. Only a minute ago, with a warm mug of tea in hand, she’d joined Daryl on the front porch for their evening routine of enjoying each other’s company. She’d commented on the clear sky full of stars and he’d casually hummed his agreement. And then this—

“Excuse me?”

The living room light filtering through the window lit up the side of his face as he turned to her. “Are you divorcing him?” He drew in a deep breath, as if he were steeling himself for an answer he didn’t wish to receive. “Are you serious about that? Divorcing that bastard?”

Carol stared at him, her brain milling through every aspect of what that meant. Daryl seemed to be bothered by her extended silence. He abandoned his seat for the porch railing and lit a cigarette, nervous energy rolling off of him. They’d discussed this before. For her and Sophia to have any kind of future and live without fear, cutting all ties with Ed was the only key. Daryl knew that. She’d flat out told him.

Though it was a warm summer’s evening, Carol wrapped both hands around the mug of tea, taking comfort in the steam that wafted from the liquid. “I can’t go back to him. I don’t _want_ to go back to him. I lived too long under Ed’s thumb.” She swallowed hard, a lump catching in her throat. She wasn’t sure how her emotions suddenly took a sharp turn from a pleasant evening to her heart pounding in her chest. There was a confession she needed to release. Something on her mind and her heart that she didn’t quite know how to say. “For the first time in nearly my entire life, I’m happy. Truly happy. I don’t worry constantly, because I have hope that everything be okay. Daryl—” He glanced over his shoulder at her when she spoke his name. “You helped make that possible.”

He finally faced her, leaning his backend against the railing. “I did what needed to be done – for you and Soph.”

“And you put in 100%. More than anyone else has ever done.”

Carol pushed off her seat and joined him, setting her mug on the rail. Daryl snubbed the cigarette out and slipped it into a bottle kept for the butts. He watched her, almost cautiously.

“I hope I’m not overstepping my boundaries asking you this. Something Merle said before you showed up. He thought me and you were together, and I told him it wasn’t like that.” The air in the space around them suddenly felt heavy. Carol frowned, wrapping herself up in her arms. “But, before that, he said something along the lines of you never being with anyone. Like a relationship or otherwise.”

It was Daryl’s turn to linger in the quiet. He snatched his lighter off the railing, flicking it on and off several times. Carol watched, never seeing him with such a grand nervous twitch before. Carol was afraid that she had, in fact, overstepped. The clicking of the lighter made her want to jump the longer the silence between them drug out.

“The women I used to be around,” Daryl began, snapping Carol back to full attention. “None-a them were really worth more than a one-night stand. That was the lifestyle Merle and our drinking buddies led. I tried to follow, but it ain’t never felt right to me. If I were gonna be with a woman, it’d be a good one. A decent one. The thing is--” he scoffed. He replaced the lighter on the railing, keeping his hand on the weather-worn wood. “No decent woman ever want redneck trash like me.”

Carol felt her breath catch. He was damaged just like her. She’d gathered that much over the last several weeks. Maybe they hadn’t gotten there in exactly the same way, but both still carried the scars that life marred on them. She reached a hand across the space between them, hesitating for just a fraction of a second before resting her palm atop Daryl’s hand. He looked her, lost as to why she would even touch him.

“What if a decent woman did want you, Daryl?”

Daryl swallowed hard. His voice shook slightly. “I’d tell her I ain’t worth it.”

She squeezed his hand. Carol didn’t know what she was doing, or where this was going. But everything about it felt right. “And she’d tell you you’re wrong.” She lessened the space between them. She was so close now. She could lean in and press a kiss to his cheek. “I’m divorcing him.”

Carol caught the stolen glance down at her lips before Daryl cleared his throat. “I got somewhere to bring you tomorrow.”

***

Daryl wasn’t much for sleep. He could run on three hours of sleep and not fall out during the day. He wasn’t sure how his body even survived that way but accepted that that’s how he was built.

Most nights after Carol slipped off to join Sophia in bed, he’d retreat to the porch once more. He’d think about everything and nothing and be serenaded by the insects’ chirps and night birds’ calls.

Ever since he’d brought Carol and Sophia to take refuge at his place, his mind strayed to them almost all the time. How did they become his entire life? Daryl wondered how he got through the day before they’d come along. He was lonelier then. His days were quiet and uneventful unless Merle was around wearing out his tongue and dragging Daryl to places he didn’t have a mind to go. Aside from that, he spent most of the time in the woods or at the mechanics shop and cooked the day’s kill over the campfire he set up just beyond the tree line behind the trailer.

Now, he cooked in a kitchen alongside Carol and ate at the old round table in the trailer like a proper family would. His days were filled with pretty smiles and teasing banter and evenings spent in companionable conversation and a little blonde head popping around. Things were still be quiet. Carol and Sophia weren’t the noisy type. But, even in the quiet, there was life surrounding him and it felt good. _Really_ good.

Daryl never wanted it to end. He didn’t wish to go back to the loneliness. He dreaded the day when Carol and Sophia would walk out the door and out of his life. It sat like a jagged stone in his gut.

Tonight, something had happened. A tiny glimmer of hope that maybe he didn’t have to live with that dread. Daryl couldn’t fathom a woman such as Carol would ever want him. He’d need a miracle for that to happen in his life. Daryl never believed in miracles. What happened, happened and that was that. But, tonight, with Carol’s hand resting upon his and the way she stood so close he could have caught her lips with his, maybe – just maybe – Daryl could finally believe that miracles did exist.


	12. Part 12

Daryl had come to know that Carol wrung her hands when she was nervous. She wrung her hands nearly the entire drive to Andrea’s office. She’d only stopped when Sophia grabbed her hand to hold, as if the little girl knew her mama needed support.

Andrea welcomed Carol with a warm smile and handshake. An attorney’s office to discuss divorce was not a proper place for a child. Carol squeezed Sophia in a hug, assuring her she wouldn’t be long and Daryl would take good care of her. The assurance didn’t stop the tears. Sophia’s little face scrunched in her upset and she reached out for Carol as her mama disappeared behind the office door. Daryl caught eye of the heave of Carol’s back right before the door closed.

“Soph,” Daryl called out, squatting down to Sophia’s level, “C’mere, sweetheart.” He gently tugged her to him and scooped her up. Her arms wrapped around his neck, putting him in a choke hold that he didn’t think her little body was strong enough to execute. “Why don’t we go for a walk? Your Ma won’t be long. Gotta talk to Ms. Andrea about something real important. She’ll be done soon.”

He started out the building for the promised walk. She whimpered and cried on his shoulder as he rubbed what he hoped was soothing strokes along her back. Daryl had walked her to the end of the block and back again. Sophia had calmed, though she sniffled a great deal and continued to cling to him.

Daryl was about to make another round of walking down the block when a familiar voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Lookit my baby brother. Family man, are ya, now?” There was quite the amusement in the mock.

Daryl grumbled. “Hey, Merle.”

“Whatch’a doin’ here?” Merle eyed Sophia. “What’s wrong with lil’ bit?”

“Carol is talkin’ to Andrea about divorcing that abusive bastard. Soph don’t take well to separating from her Ma.”

Merle nodded in understanding.

“You and the waitress—” Merle clicked his tongue suggestively, “y’all hook up yet?”

“There’s more to being with a woman than ridin’ her like a damn horse, Merle. I ain’t in no hurry for all that. Carol’s gotta get passed all this other sh-t before she can move on. If she even wants it.”

“And you’ll just keep playin’ happy family ‘til she leaves your ass behind for something better.”

A fire stirred up in Daryl’s mind. Carol wasn’t going anywhere. She’d made that clear several times, but it remained unclear as to what they were to each other. They weren’t a couple, but they both – in a roundabout way – showed that they wanted to be together in that way. Daryl was content just having Carol there. He would wait for her to make the move into the physical aspects. She deserved that right after all that she’d been through.

But even with that unspoken promise between them, the doubt hadn’t magically vanished. All Merle’s reminder did was float it back to the surface.

Daryl hugged Sophia closer against him. The crying had ceased, and her choke hold had relaxed. He wondered if she’d fallen asleep. “How you doin’?” he asked his brother. If there was one thing Merle liked spouting off about, it was himself. Daryl was anxious to move on to another subject, even if it was listening to Merle salivate at the mouth about ‘ _gettin’ some’_.

“Aww, brother,” Merle flashed him that ridiculous smirk of his, “didn’t think you cared after sendin’ me away.”

Daryl ignored the guilt trip. “Andrea got you on a program yet?”

Merle scoffed. “I don’t need no program. I got rid-a all that sh-t.”

Daryl furrowed his brow, not believing the claim for a second. “The hell you haven’t. I saw that bag you toted out the trailer.”

Merle fixed him with a hard glare, the curve of his mouth set straight. “ _I did_. Andrea said if I get off using, she’ll give me a chance.”

“A chance at what?”

“At her, dammit!”

Daryl shook his head. Andrea must have lost her mind if she was willing to give Merle a chance like that. But, then again, it’d be like the pot calling the kettle black. If Daryl could have a chance with Carol, maybe Merle could get his miracle and have a chance with Andrea. It’d take a miracle just to get Merle to stop using. “I believe it when I see it,” was all he offered, then added his afterthought, “She probably means more than a one-night screw party.”

Merle sucked in a breath that emitted a whistle. He rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. “You right about that damn thing, brother.”

“She’ll wanna get you tested for the clap ‘fore she even sits next to you,” Daryl half-joked, half told the truth. Merle’d had his run-in’s with STDs more than once, and Andrea was well aware of that fact.

“Sh-t,” Merle muttered out as if this was the first time it’d been brought to his attention. He shook his head, choosing now to light up a cigarette and move away from the rapidly spiraling conversation. “Let’s stop cluckin’ ‘round here like a bunch-a fat hens.” He offered Daryl a smoke, but Daryl turned it down on account of Sophia wrapped around him.

“Is she asleep?”

Merle leaned around Daryl to get a glimpse of the girl’s face. “Her eyes closed. Maybe playin’ possum for all we know.”

“No need to walk her again if she sleepin’. I’m’a go check to see if Carol is done talkin’ with Andrea.”

Daryl started walking back to the office building.

“Don’t be a stranger, lil’ brother. Don’t forget ‘ole Merle now ya got a family,” Merle called out at his back, the sharp teasing full on his voice.

“Yeah,” was all Daryl gave as he walked away.

***

The meeting with Andrea left Carol with a wild mix of emotions. One part of her was electrified, leaving her teeming with excitement that the long, treacherous journey would come to an end soon. The other part was scared out of her wits. Scared that Ed would retaliate. Scared that the court system would fail her. Scared she’d be trapped in the marriage. Scared that the life she’d come to live apart from Ed would be snatched from her.

Carol couldn’t sleep. Not with a thousand thoughts racing through her mind, circling continuous around with no finish line in sight. She pushed up on her elbow and craned her neck to see her daughter. Sophia was sound asleep in a much more pleasant place than Carol was in at the moment. She smoothed her palm along her daughter’s hair then carefully climbed out of bed.

Carol didn’t know what to expect as she stood in front of Daryl’s door. She knew he didn’t sleep much and maybe she’d get lucky and catch him awake. With a shaky hand, she twisted the knob and pushed the door in as quietly as she could. She winced when it made a ridiculous squeak and paused her actions to listen for any signs of life in the room.

“Carol?”

She released the breath she’d held in. “It’s me.”

In the darkness, she saw his outline sit up on the sleeping bag pallet he’d made up. “You okay? Soph okay?”

“Sophia is sleeping like a baby,” she assured as she slipped the rest of the way into the room and shut the door. “I’m fine.”

“What’s wrong? You need something?”

Carol let out a deep breath, feeling ridiculous now that she was here asking him for what she wanted from him. “I need—” she shook her head, “This is silly. I should probably go back to the other room.”

Daryl moved as if he were about to jump up and stop her, but she stopped herself. “Naw, it’s not. What is it?”

Carol wrung her hands together but stopped almost immediately, realizing what she was doing and crossed her arms over her chest. “Will you hold me?” Her request sounded weak and small, and she kicked herself for not having the guts to speak it stronger. “I just…I need someone to hold me.” It was a lie. She didn’t need someone. She needed him.

“C’mere,” Daryl said, to her surprise, without hesitation. He gestured for her to join him.

Carol was shocked immobile for a second, but quickly shook it off. She went to him, crawling under the single blanket he pulled it back for her. They awkwardly scooted around for a few moments trying to figure out the most comfortable way to lay. As tempting as it was, Carol wasn’t about to suggest spooning. Not yet anyways. Her face heated at the very thought.

They finally settled for Daryl lying on his back with an arm around her waist. Carol snuggled into his side, her head resting on his chest. She nuzzled her cheek into his t-shirt, seeking out just the right spot.

“You good?” Daryl’s chin hair tickled her face as he asked.

“I am,” Carol sighed out her reply. This was exactly what she needed.

***

Daryl was sure Carol could hear his heart hammering in her ear. This was the closest she’d been to him since she hugged him on the porch. That felt like a lifetime ago, though it had only been a month passed. She was pressed against his side, her head resting nicely on his chest. One leg was flush with his, her socked foot and his bare foot brushing – sending tingles up his leg.

Though he was as nervous as a rabbit, everything about this felt right. He’d waited for Carol to move first. He’d kept the temptation at bay no matter how difficult it was. His hands had itched for her -- longed to reach out and pulled her against him, soak in her warmth. Daryl had never experienced such strong emotions for a woman. It was engulfing him like a wildfire.

As much as he longed to capture her lips at this very moment, he held back and relished in the sensation of her body against his. They’d get there, he knew. They’d walk that path together.


	13. Part 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kind of a surprise. I had a few bits of dialogue I'd already written out. I wasn't sure exactly where I was going with it as I started writing it as a full chapter, but it came together so well! Thank you to all my readers for journeying along with this story <3

Andrea was a get-down-to-business type woman, but she seemed to care about Carol’s plight. Though Andrea wasn’t a divorce lawyer, she’d offered her services to take the case. The only money Carol had to shell out was for filing the petition for the divorce. She’d saved enough from working at the shop to pay the $200 fee. Andrea would fill out the paperwork and file it for her. Since Carol had already separated from Ed well over a month prior, the process would begin after filing. Then Ed would be notified. Between filing a police report and for divorce, Ed would be furious at her, and Carol felt as if she were poking a beehive with a stick.

Daryl rarely left her alone in public. Sometimes while at work, he had to make a run to pick up a part for a vehicle, but he wouldn’t be gone long. On some days, another mechanic – Jimmy – was there, and Carol knew it eased Daryl’s mind about leaving if someone was there to watch over her and Sophia.

“I’m done, Mommy.” Sophia plopped her workbook right in front of Carol on the desk.

Carol shifted her eyes from the schedule book that was now blocked by a kindergarten level ABC workbook and tossed her daughter a gentle reprimand with a look. Sophia caught on quickly, removing the book off the desk and instead, shoving it too close to Carol’s face.

“Now, sweetheart, I can’t check it if it’s too close to my eyes,” Carol reminded her. Kids weren’t aware of things like that. She checked over the page Sophia had worked on. She nodded in approval of the traced letters. Her daughter’s handwriting was surprisingly neat for her age.

“Can I help Daryl now?” Sophia bounced anxiously from foot to foot. She was more interested in playing with the tools and handing them to Daryl than she was learning how to write letters.

Carol smiled. “Sure, you can.”

Sophia was off like a shot. Carol left the desk to stretch her legs for a few minutes and ended up leaning against the doorframe of the office. She watched Sophia bound up to Daryl, minding not to get too close to the motorcycle he was repairing. Daryl kept a tarp on the floor and Sophia knew not to cross it unless she was handing him a tool.

Soon, Sophia would be attending kindergarten. Carol hadn’t told her yet that she wouldn’t be able to hang around the shop anymore. Sophia would most likely be devastated, but maybe having fun at school and making friends would sooth over the hurt feelings.

“You finish your homework?” Daryl asked her.

Sophia nodded. She barely spoke a word to Daryl still, but she was slowly coming out of her protective shell with him. She would hug him goodnight and show him treasures she found in the yard and hold his hand as they walked through the woods. She enjoyed spending time with him, always curious as to what he was doing. Carol could tell Daryl enjoyed it just as much.

“Tell me your ABCs. Can’t quite remember all them. Remind me what they are.”

Sophia giggled, thinking it was funny that Daryl couldn’t remember something as simple as the alphabet. In a soft tone that Carol could barely hear, Sophia recited the alphabet for him. It was the most she’d spoken at one time in his presence.

Daryl sat up straight, turning to look at her proudly. “Lookit you, Soph. Smart as a whip. You remind me how to say the ABCs.”

Sophia grinned at the praise.

Carol’s throat tightened as her emotions got the best of her. She never thought she’d see Sophia this pleased -- this happy. Ed would have never asked her to recite her ABCs. He never would have showed how proud he was of her. Sophia never smiled at her father the way she did at Daryl. It was another one of the many reasons Carol knew she was doing the right thing.

***

“How’d you become so good with children?” Carol asked as she served Daryl a piece of cake she’d baked earlier that day.

Daryl nodded his thanks as he accepted the plate. “Ain’t never had experience with kids until Soph.”

Carol’s mouth curved up and she raised her eyebrows, amused. “Then you’re saying you’re a natural at it?”

Daryl snorted. “I’m just treatin’ her how I woulda wanted to be treated as a kid. My Ma did the best she could working with all the problems she had to deal with. My Pa was the most useless old man that ever walked the earth. If me or Merle woulda went missing and was never found, he probably wouldn’t a noticed. Sh-t. I got lost in the woods for over a week when I was 9 and no one even knew I was gone.”

Carol looked taken aback. “You were lost for over a week and no one knew?”

“Yeah. I made it. Taught me how to survive on my own. That’s why I know about the woods. After I managed to find my way out, I told myself I’d learn everything about survivin’. Merle’d already taught me a bit about huntin’ and trackin’ that he’d learned from our grandad I never knew. I learned myself what every tree and every plant was out there after earnin’ a damn fine rash on my ass from usin’ poison ivy. Learned how to make a fire. How to collect water. What’s edible and what’s not.” Daryl laughed to himself at a recalled memory. “The librarian was concerned about all my pokin’ around the library readin’ those survival books. Told that lil’ old lady I was earnin’ badges for the boy scouts. Don’t think she believed me since my dirty ass looked nothin’ like a boy scout, but she left me alone.”

“But, absolutely no one realized you were missing?” Carol asked in disbelief.

“My old man was on a bender and Merle was in juvy, so naw. No one.” He paused a moment contemplating. “That’s why I treat Soph the way I do, the way I wish someone woulda treated me as a kid. Build them up. Show them you care about ‘em. The way a kid should be treated.”

“You’re doing a great job at it, Daryl.” Carol touched his arm. “You are a natural.”

Daryl’s face heated up at the compliment, uncomfortable taking it. He ducked his head to focus intently on the half-eaten piece of cake on his plate and not on the slim hand that lingered on his arm – as if he could ignore it. Though, a twinge of disappointment settled in his chest when the hand lifted away.

Carol pushed out of her chair. “Sophia, honey,” she called out to her daughter. Sophia looked up from her herd of little plastic animals she’d acquired from the thrift store, who were currently acting out the beginning scene from what looked like _The Lion King_. “Pick up. Time for bed.”

Sophia looked put out and on the verge of protesting. Daryl swooped in, just finishing off his cake.

“Hey, Soph, you and me get the animals to jump back in their home.” He sat down beside her, and they worked together to make the animals “jump” into the clear container so they could get sleep too. Sophia giggled when Daryl made a tiger hop on her head then dive into the container.

Carol’s chest fluttered at the scene. She almost accepted the idea that Sophia would never have the father every child deserved, but seeing her with Daryl gave her hope. He truly was a natural with children.

By the time they were done picking up, Sophia’s pout had flittered away. She ran up to Carol, murmuring a request. “Of course, he can,” Carol answered, “if he wants to. Daryl?”

Daryl hummed in reply as he got off the floor.

“Sophia wants you to help me tuck her in tonight.”

He was stock still at the request. Carol almost fell crestfallen at his drawn out silence, already assuming he’d turn it down. Though he looked unsure, Daryl finally nodded, relieving Carol’s oncoming worry. She should have known better than to doubt him.

“Yeah, I can.”

***

The door to Daryl’s room opened softly. He shifted his eyes from the ceiling to watch Carol sneak in then shut the door just as carefully as she opened it. His chest tightened in a strange, rousing way at her appearance.

“Is this gonna become a habit?” he asked, propping up on an elbow.

Carol paused, arms wrapping around herself as if they were a shield. “Is it okay if it does?”

“It’s fine with me,” Daryl replied quickly, not wanting to discourage her from joining him. He pulled back the blanket, and Carol took that as a signal. She shimmed up against Daryl.

“I just need to know something,” Daryl asked, unsure as how to go about this, but needing clarity. “What is this between us?”

Carol rested her hand in the valley of his chest. “I don’t exactly know. All I know is, I want to be with you.”

“At least, tell me this.” He took a deep breath, steeling himself. “Do you want to be with me because I’m taking care of you? Because I got you away from that as-hole husband?”

Carol shook her head against his shoulder. “No, that’s not it. I have a confession, Daryl.” She paused, leaving him on pins for what seemed like hours but was only seconds. “I’ve been attracted to you ever since you walked into the diner. That first time I chatted with you alone, I felt something I hadn’t before. Not even with Ed when we started dating. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew I liked it and I liked you. I wanted to be around you more and more. You were adorable—”

Daryl snorted. “I’ve been called a lotta things in my life, but adorable was never one of ‘em.”

“I thought you were!” Carol laughed, sitting up and leaving Daryl’s side chilled from her suddenly absence. He wished he could see her face instead of just her shadowy form beside him. “The more you came in, sat at my table, talked to me, the more I wanted to know you. Be around you. Helping me only grew my attraction for you.”

“Since we’re confessin’ things, I got one myself.” Daryl sat up. He warned her to close her eyes as he reached around her and switched on the camping lantern he used as a lamp. He waited for their eyes to adjust before he continued. He was glad to be able to see her now. “That second time I came into the diner and looked at you -- like really looked at you – I wanted you.”

An unsure expression crept on Carol’s face. “How did you feel when you found out I was married?”

Daryl shrugged. “Disappointed -- just my luck -- but I’d gotten to know you a little before that and I liked thinkin’ of you as a friend, whether you thought a me as one or not. At least, I had you as that.”

The corners of Carol’s mouth began to curl up. “You have me now.”

Just those words alone sent an electric spark through Daryl’s body. He couldn’t hold back any longer. “Can I kiss you?”

The broadest smile spread Carol’s lips, and that was all Daryl needed. “Please—” The word barely crossed her lips when he crashed into her. Carol let out a little squeak of surprise into his mouth. She recovered quickly, returning the kiss that Daryl had plunged into.

They were both inexperienced. Daryl having kissed only a couple of girls in his life. Carol’s experience was limited to Ed and kissing him for pleasure had sailed off years ago. But, what they lacked in experience, their enthusiasm and need to be close to each other made up for it.

Carol pulled away first, her breathing heavier. She cradled Daryl’s cheek as he searched her eyes for any displeasure. He swiped his thumb over the edge of her top lip, cleaning off the saliva he’d left there. He’d been a little messy in his approach. Carol smiled at him, hoping not to discourage him from trying again.

“Let’s take it a little slower this time, okay?”

Daryl nodded, his nerves kicking up a bit.

Carol initiated their next kiss. She crept in, keeping eye contact until she was too close. Then she closed her eyes, meeting his lips. At first, it was gentle presses that began to linger longer the more they continued. Soon, they were melting into each other. Carol moaned into Daryl’s mouth, and the sound motivated him to deepen the kiss. He grabbed her waist, hauling her into his lap and Carol went gladly.

Daryl held her with both arms around her waist, and she wrapped one arm around his shoulders as the other snaked into the hair on his neck. The sensation of her fingers in his hair shot through Daryl like an electric current, and it was almost to the point of being overwhelming. He was suddenly aware of his privates twitching and coming to life. He broke their connection, catching Carol’s gaze. Her pupils were blown and a bit wild, and it made his dick start to rise.

Carol blinked then glanced down as his dick twitched against her nether reigns. She closed her eyes and gasped a shuttering breath as she shifted. Daryl drew in a sharp breath at the friction. But then, Daryl felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him as Carol moved away. Perhaps, they’d gone too far too soon for her.

“Sorry. Got carried away,” Daryl explained for the sake of nothing else to say. He ducked his head. His face burned.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Carol said, gently. She cradled his cheek, coaxing him to look at her. “I haven’t felt this good – this turned on by someone in…well,” she let out a little chuckle, “I don’t think I ever have.”

Her thumb brushed over the stubble on his cheek and Daryl couldn’t help but melt into her touch. He’d never been touched this way. Never had the chance to savor a gentle caress. It was awakening things in him he didn’t think existed inside him.

Carol leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before sitting back again. She visibly swallowed. “I don’t think I’m ready for the next step. Not yet, but I will be.”

Daryl bowed his head, berating himself for losing control of his body. Carol somehow sensed his internal lashing. She ducked her head to catch his eyes, her thumb continuing to smooth over his cheek and chin.

“This is all so new. We’ll get there,” she promised, and her voice was soothing. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Daryl nodded as words were difficult to find. He pulled her against him, letting go of a deep breath as Carol nuzzled her face into his neck. He nearly shuttered when she planted a soft, lingering kiss there.

This was all so new to both of them. Daryl found his feelings almost too hard to wrangle, but he’d try his best for her. They would get there, he knew – because he believed in her promise.


	14. Part 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little warning of Merle being his colorful self in this chapter.

It was official – at least in Daryl’s mind – that Merle was moved out. His brother was his only blood family left. They’d been through hell and high water together, when Merle was even around. Daryl loved his brother -- he really did, but he couldn’t follow Merle’s sorry ass for the rest of his life. Daryl didn’t think he ever had a chance to move on from living in his brother’s shadow, but now the possibility was reality. Daryl had a reason to move on.

Merle’s room was considered the master bedroom of the trailer. Being the oldest – in all his older brother maturity -- claimed it for himself. Daryl hadn’t cared one way or another when all he needed was a bed to crash in for a few hours. He’d have been fine on the couch. But now, Carol warmed his side at night, and she deserved more than a couple of sleep bags on the floor. Daryl wasn’t about to switch Sophia to another bedroom either. She felt secure and comfortable in his old bed, and that’s how it was going to stay.

Daryl pushed open Merle’s door, trash bags in fist – one for actual trash and the other for anything he thought his brother would want to keep. Judging by all the stuff that littered the room there probably wasn’t much worth keeping whether Merle wanted it or not.

Daryl got down to work rifling through every space in the bedroom and bathroom. Carol had offered to help him, but no telling what unsavory paraphernalia he’d find. He didn’t want to expose her to that. His intuition was right when he found a stack of porn magazines piled under the bed.

“What the hell are you, Merle? Fifteen?” Daryl remarked to the walls, shaking his head but not surprised by the discovery.

The task took up a couple of hours. Neither of them owned much to their name. There was one thing Daryl decided to keep for himself. In an old cigar box that he knew belonged to their late grandad, he found one photograph of him and Merle in their younger days. He couldn’t remember where the photo came from or who bothered to snap it. Daryl had forgotten Merle had the photo, and somehow it had survived their many wanderings over the years. He slipped it in his back pocket then toss the cigar box into the ‘keep’ trash bag.

With pretty much all of Merle’s possessions removed and sorted, Daryl moved on to stripping the beds sheets. He opened the bedroom and threw the sheets into the living room. He chuckled to himself seeing Sophia craning her neck curiously from the living room couch to see what he was up to. She’d hopped off the couch and watched him from the doorway as he flipped the mattress. The side showing was spotted with stains that Daryl had no interest in knowing how they got there. He hoped the other side was cleaner. Surprisingly, the other side had only two stains and they were small. With a sheet on, at least there’d be a barrier between them and the soiled spots.

A wave of embarrassment swept over him at the thought that he couldn’t afford to give Carol a new, unsoiled mattress. They had to sleep on his brother’s old leftover.

Their relationship had moved forward steadily ever since Andrea informed Carol she’d filed the divorce petition. They couldn’t put a label to it yet, but Daryl and Carol both knew they wanted to be together for long term. He longed to give Carol and Sophia everything they needed and deserved, but that just wasn’t possible. Not with the meager income Daryl made at the shop. What better job would hire a high school dropout with absolutely nothing worthwhile to his name? The distressing thought that Carol had jumped from the frying pan into the fire weighted heavy on his shoulders.

A shifting caught his attention, and Daryl turned to look at the doorway where blue eyes watched him. He’d forgotten Sophia was there. He waved her in. She slowly crept into the forbidden room, peering around as if she expected booby traps to be set off at every step. She finally made it to the bare mattress, and Daryl helped her climb up to sit next to him.

Daryl noticed the discarded sheets were gone. “You brought those sheets to your Ma to wash?”

Sophia nodded, still gazing around inquisitively.

“You like living here, Soph?”

She looked at him with a big smile, nodding. “I like it.”

A dose of satisfaction stirred up in Daryl every time Sophia spoke to him. “You want you and your Ma to stay here with me?”

“Yeah.” Sophia stood up on the mattress, wrapping her little arms around his neck. “Love you, Daryl,” she said, softly.

Those simple words shot through Daryl’s heart like an arrow, but in the best way. Sophia hardly ever said anything to him – maybe along with her shyness she was just a quiet child – but this? Daryl questioned if he’d imagined what she’d just said. No one, not since his mother, had spoken those words to him and he questioned if he trusted his memory with even that. He gave the little girl a quick squeeze before she pulled away. He held onto her arm to steady her as she sat back down.

“Why you love me, Soph?” Daryl asked, not able to keep the thickness from his voice.

“You love me,” she replied as if that was the most obvious answer in the world, “like Mommy does.”

Sophia was only a young child, but she recognized what love was. Even with all the horror she’d lived through, she recognized it. She knew by the actions of her father that he didn’t love her, but through the actions of her mother, she _did_. Her only example of love was her mother, and she was placing Daryl in that same category. Daryl tried to get his breathing in check. This revelation had thrown him, and he wasn’t sure if the churning in his stomach would stop. It frightened him and exhilarated him all at once.

He tussled Sophia’s hair atop her head as she beamed up at him. It hadn’t crossed his mind, but now that it was out, he realized it. “You’re right, Soph. I do love you.”

It was in that moment Daryl knew Carol and Sophia were his family.

***

Daryl walked up to the door at the apartment building, a black trash bag slung over his shoulder. He knew his brother was home, seeing Merle’s motorcycle parked there. He rapped his knuckles on the door a few times. A string of incoherent words floated through the door before it swung open.

Merle stood there, button-up shirt hanging loosely on his shoulders over the white wife-beater he always wore. His disgruntlement for being disturbed quickly changed into an amused grin. “Well, if it ain’t Santy-Claus bringin’ me a bag of sh-t.”

“Here’s your crap.” Daryl shoved the bag at his brother. “If I didn’t have to live there, I woulda set that room on fire.”

“C’mon, baby brother,” Merle peaked into the bag, shifting the contents around. “Ain’t that bad. You at least kept my porn, right?”

Daryl snorted. “If you want ‘em, you can fish ‘em out the dumpster.”

Merle tossed him a glare. “That was all I had left to get a rise and you deprivin’ me that? Cruel, lil’ brother.” He shook his head and turned to saunter farther into the apartment, dropping the garbage bag like the trash it was on the floor by his recliner.

Daryl invited himself in and shut the door. He peered around at the small living space. The apartments were circa 1960s and had been owned by Andrea’s grandfather. Daryl knew enough about how she’d inherited the building and chose to use it for helping others instead of making profit. By the outdated features of the apartments, she wouldn’t be able to get much for it anyways. Most of the residents were required to hold a job to help pay for utilities. Daryl didn’t know where Andrea managed to find jobs for the men and women she helped recover, but she was a savvy woman and probably had numerous connections.

Merle approached him with two beers on hand, and Daryl accepted the offered bottle. “Nice digs.” For as old as it was, it was the nicest place besides the trailer Merle had ever lived in. “You clean?”

“Toldja last I seen ya, I was,” Merle confirmed, taking a swig of his drink. “I stopped that sh-t while I was gone.”

Daryl creased his brow, doubtful. “You dupin’ me.”

“Naw, I ain’t!” Merle’s blue eyes pierced into him. He clamped a hand on Daryl’s shoulder and pointed the lip of his beer bottle toward the door. “Had an epiphany out there, brother, after my a-s almost died.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time you almost got you’re a-s dead, Merle.” Daryl’s memory was flooded with a half a dozen times he’d thought his brother was about to buy himself a one-way ticket out of this world – whether it had been from acting like a damn idiot or saturating his insides with narcotics and alcohol.

“This time I saw a white light,” Merle explained as he plopped down in the middle of the couch. Daryl followed and perched on the arm of the couch, already taking the story with a grain of salt. “Like hell I was going t’ward that light. I may be a useless piece of sh-t, but Merle Dixon ain’t checking out just yet.”

Daryl shook his head, examining the lip of his beer bottle. “That why you jumped at the chance to come back to this place? Thought you might have that chance with Andrea?”

Merle shrugged. “Gave somethin’ to motivate me, and she went for it.” He leaned elbows on his knees, swiveling the bottle between his fingertips, his expression a little lost. A weird little inch crawled up Daryl’s back, not used to seeing his brother this way. Maybe Merle did have an epiphany.

“Not the first time I tried hittin’ on her. Sure as hell know most every damn person that comes through here has hit up on her. Andrea knows me a little too well and the Dixon charm don’t work on her. But, this time, she didn’t turn me out.”

“You two are actually together then?”

Merle shook his head. “The hell if I know. She hasn’t let me do anything ‘cept put my arm around her shoulder when we’re watching tv. Like high school sh-t. Been playin’ a lotta pool in the common room together. The only action I been gettin’ is watching her fine a-s leaning over the pool table, makin’ me wanna lean her over that table. I’m throbbin’ so bad, brother.”

Daryl squirmed on the couch arm, grossed out by his brother’s blatant yearnings. He’d heard things out of Merle’s mouth that he’d never be able to unhear over the years, but it was always about nameless women that Daryl didn’t know what they looked like besides Merle’s colorful descriptions.

“I need to get back to Carol and Soph,” Daryl announced, standing. “Thanks for the beer.”

Merle hopped up. “You officially kickin’ me outta the trailer, family man?”

Daryl half turned. “Yeah. I need to move on with my life, and I can do that with Carol and Sophia. Whether you like it or not, Merle, they’re my family now and I’m gonna do what’s right by them.” Saying it out loud sent a wild quiver through Daryl. They were _his_ family.

“Don’t forget, I’m your family too,” Merle called out, a hint of defense creeping into his voice.

Daryl gave a sharp nod. “I won’t.”


	15. Part 15

Carol tossed the other side of the sheet into the air and it floated down like a parachute toward the mattress. Before it settled, Daryl grabbed the seam and tugged it straight.

“Do you have enough on your side?” Carol asked, tucking the edge under the mattress.

“Yeah,” Daryl answered without really checking. He glanced over at her then mirroring her actions and tucking his side in.

It was strange and a little thrilling making the bed with him. How could something as simple as making a bed stir up emotions? Ed wouldn’t dare have helped her with any housework. The very act of putting a fork in the dishwasher was completely beneath him. The stark contrast between Daryl and Ed sometimes gave Carol whiplash.

They spent the day cleaning the bedroom and bathroom. After all evidence of Merle was gone, the room looked almost like a completely different place. Carol sat at the end of the bed, her mind drifting through the passed week. Little flutters of giddiness bubble up in her whenever Daryl made the smallest gestures of affection. A hand at the small of her back. A stolen glance when he thinks she’s not looking. A passing peck on the cheek. Carol wasn’t used to this kind of attention – gentle and caring – and at times, she felt lost as to how to react to it. Daryl was sometimes unsure and awkward going about it and it made her heart soar. He really was adorable.

The mattress sunk down beside her, and Carol smiled to herself at the palm that came to rest on her knee. She turned to meet Daryl’s gaze. He averted his eyes for a moment -- a bit self-conscious -- then returned to her.

“You can have the top drawers in the dresser,” he told her. “I don’t need much space.”

Carol heaved a sigh. “Okay. Thank you.”

Daryl patted her knee. “Hey, you okay?”

Carol closed her eyes, realizing her emotions were probably written all over her face. “I’m sorry.” She placed her hand atop his, and he turned his hand over to lace his fingers within hers. “Sometimes I can’t wrap my mind around this. Like, this is all a dream or some kind of fantasy I created, and I’ll wake up one day,” her voice began to trail, “back where I started.”

“Do I need to pinch ya? Prove you this is real?”

Carol laughed, feeling warmth by the little grin Daryl flashed her. She shook her head. “We can skip the pinching. Unless it’s for other things—” The warmth she felt crept into her cheeks at her boldness.

Daryl’s features were mesmerized by her. “Just say the word—”

Carol bit her bottom lip, igniting a heavy rise of Daryl's chest. “I wasn’t thinking about using words.”

She was hoping her flirting would send Daryl over the edge. She’d judged right. He wasted no time crossing the space between them and crashing into her lips. It was the middle of the day. Sophia was at the kitchen table coloring. Carol couldn’t help but thirst at igniting this side of him. The exhilaration that spun from it made Carol lightheaded. His playful exchanges sent her longing for more. It was as if they were a team. One didn’t count more than the other. Both were of equal importance to each other.

Daryl’s fingers slide around her waist and down to her a-s. Carol didn’t notice where his hand was going until she jumped, disconnecting their lips. “Stop!” she laughed, tapping Daryl’s shoulder with the heel of her hand.

Daryl raised his eyebrows wearing a wicked little grin and pinched her again, making Carol squirm and laugh. When he worked his shyness out, there was no stopping him and Carol loved it.

“We can’t get anything started,” Carol reminded him, flicking her eyes where Sophia was. Her daughter’s head was bowed over the coloring book, but Carol could see her sneaking glances at them. Carol sobered slightly. “We need to talk to her about all these changes.”

Daryl looked taken aback. “You want me with you when you talk to her?”

“You’re apart of her life now.”

“Me and Soph already kinda had a chat.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Yesterday." Daryl scratched the back of his neck. "I asked her if she liked being here and if she wanted to stay. She said yeah.”

Carol leaned her head against his shoulder, encompassing her arms around him. “She trust you.”

“I know. I’ll do whatever it takes to not break that trust.” Daryl nodded his chin toward Sophia. “How ‘bout we have that talk right now before she bores holes into us?”

“Sophia,” Carol called, sitting back up, “can you come here, please?”

Sophia slid off the chair and made her way to the bedroom. Carol scooted over to make room for her between her and Daryl. Sophia used both their knees on either side of her to pull herself up on the bed.

“Sophia, sweetheart – you know we can never go back to our house with your father, right?” Sophia nodded in response, her face a bit unreadable. “Are you okay with that?”

She nodded with a little more gusto.

Carol breathed in relief. She didn’t expect her daughter to missed Ed, but children could be unpredictable sometimes.

“Me and Daryl – we’re together now, just like your father and I were. But, its different. We care about each other. It's so much better.”

Sophia grabbed her hand. “Where’s your ring?”

Carol’s brow creased. “What, sweetie?”

“Where’s your ring? Like you wore with daddy?” Sophia’s voice rose slightly in excitement. “Is Daryl giving you a new one?”

Sophia used to have a habit of playing with Carol’s engagement ring. She’d examine the diamond or roll the ring around Carol’s finger. Carol had explained to her what the ring meant – _Mommy was Daddy’s one and only_. The explanation brought an ache to Carol’s heart every time Sophia inquired about it.

Carol glanced at Daryl, a little lost. Their relationship was brand new. So new that the most intimate they’d gotten so far was kissing. They hadn’t even labeled themselves _boyfriend and girlfriend_ , though those labels seemed a bit silly to Carol. Their relationship reached deeper than just that to her.

“Not yet, Soph,” Daryl swooped in to relieve Carol.

A look of worry passed over Sophia’s face. “Why not?”

“Too soon, but we’ll get there.” Daryl flicked his eyes up at that to meet Carol’s, and it stirred up things inside her causing her cheeks to blush. She caught the hopefulness in his gaze, but there was also caution. Would they get married after the divorce was final? A thousand thoughts suddenly dumped on Carol’s head, and she realized her and Daryl needed to discuss matters as well.

“Will you be my daddy, Daryl?” Sophia asked him.

Carol witnessed the very second Daryl’s insides froze. In that moment, she feared she’d instantly lost everything that they had built up to. Carol’s heart sunk like an anchor into her stomach, remembering something Sophia had said a month or so ago. _I wish Daryl was my daddy._ Carol quickly recovered from the unexpected question, not wishing for the tense silence like knives hanging over them to linger too long.

“Sophia, I think me and Daryl need to talk about that first, okay? Why don’t you go back to coloring?”

Sophia frowned and headed back to the kitchen table.

Carol followed her to the bedroom door, shutting it closed. She turned back to Daryl, wringing her hands. She was afraid to look at him. They’d barely begun this new journey and she feared it would end as fast as it started. Daryl hadn’t signed up for this. She wouldn’t blame him for taking a step back.

“I’m so sorry,” she finally managed, keeping a distance. “Maybe we jumped into this too soon with talking to Sophia together. I didn’t expect those questions from her. She’s an insightful little girl. First, the ring and then asking about—” Carol bit her bottom lip, steeling herself for her next words to come out. She stared at the floor. “Daryl, if you’re not ready for this, we can stop. I can leave and—”

“Carol, stop!” Daryl barked and he came at her.

Carol shielded herself out of habit from the many times she had been rushed. Daryl didn’t lay a hand on her and Carol scolded her body for reacting like he would. Some habits would take time to break.

Daryl stopped dead in his tracks and kept some space between them. His excess energy was teeming. He couldn’t stand still. Carol could imagine all the thoughts racing through his mind. He shook his head.

“I wasn’t ‘bout to hit you. I’d _never_ lay a hand on you like that.”

“I know,” Carol murmured, feeling her insides crumple. “I’m sorry.”

Daryl paced a few steps. “Look, I’m goin’ huntin’ for dinner. Taking Soph with me so you can have some time alone. You okay with that?”

Carol finally looked at him, her eyes burning from holding back unshed tears. “Of course,” she said, weakly.

Daryl approached her cautiously like he was approaching a wild animal in a trap. He leaned in, planting a quick kiss into her hair. He hovered there and murmured what was plaguing her mind, “I ain’t scared off that easy.”

***

“Why is Mommy sad?” Sophia asked. Her little hand held Daryl’s as they strolled along the trail. “Did I make her sad?”

“Naw, Soph,” Daryl answered, giving her arm a little shake. “Your Ma has a lot to work out in her head. Your dad did a lotta bad things to her and it’s gonna take a while for your Ma to get better from ‘em.”

A cloud seemed to fall over Sophia. “Daddy hurts her a lot,” she murmured. “He makes her sad.”

“I know.” It burned Daryl’s gut hearing it from the little girl. “And I’m sorry that happened to you and your Ma.”

Sophia looked up at him and the clouds parted. She was brighter. “You make her happy. You give her pretty smiles.”

Daryl couldn’t help his own smile at the way she worded it. “I try. But I made her sad today.”

Sophia’s brow turned down. “Why?”

The image of Carol cowering when he approached her flashed in his mind. He didn’t mean to rush her like that, and he berated himself for being careless. “All those bad things that happened to your Ma makes her think she don’t deserve good things. I’ll set it right, Soph. Don’t worry about that.”

They walked a beat in silence.

“Daryl?”

Daryl hummed at her.

“Will you be my daddy?”

Daryl didn’t think he’d ever be aggressively pursued by a 5-year old. This was important to her and he didn’t want to deny her – for her _and_ himself. Because maybe he wanted it just as bad as she did. “If your Ma is okay with it and if you want me to be – yeah, I can.”

Sophia beamed. That seemed to finally satisfy her. She tugged at his arm. Daryl bent down and scooped her up into the crook of his arm to carry. She was a thin little thing and didn’t weight much. He reckoned he could carry her for a few minutes.

Sophia glided a fingertip along one of the bolts stored on his crossbow hanging on his other shoulder. Daryl planned to teach her one day how to shoot, if it was okay with her mother. He planned to teach Sophia many things, especially about survival. You never know when you’d get lost in the woods.

He hadn’t realized it until that moment carrying Sophia down the trail that he was making plans for the future. He wanted to move on, but to have solid plans laid out—

He would teach Sophia what she needed to know about life. He would save up money to get them a better place to live. He looked forward to buying a ring and calling Carol his wife.

Daryl’s chest tightened. All these plans that he’d subconsciously been collecting over the last few weeks flooded him all at once. He already decided Carol and Sophia were his family, but Carol couldn’t read his mind. He needed to tell her that. She needed to know his full intentions before they had another misunderstanding.

Maybe they had similar intentions and didn’t even know it. Maybe that would ease some of Carol’s worry about him changing his mind, because he had no intentions of changing that.


	16. Part 16

Carol had to keep busy. She couldn’t stop replaying what happened. The thoughts were etched in her mind, scraping painfully deeper. The trailer was too quiet, and Sophia wasn’t there to distract her. She switched on the battered radio pushed off to the side on the kitchen counter. She turned the knob from a classic rock station that featured hard rock of the 70’s and ‘80’s to a softer music that she realized was a Christian radio station.

She focused on the soothing music as she drifted from one room of the trailer to another. She kept the place tidier than a British manor and found there was not much left to keep her busy.

She switched off the radio, her mind a bit calmer though her stomach was still tied up in knots. No telling when Daryl and Sophia would be back. She’d never traversed the trailer park before, but today was that day to go for it.

Carol slipped her tennis shoes on and headed out the door. She walked slowly along the concrete road, peering around at the different lots in the community. Some folks were outside, some waving to her as she passed by. It was a nice walk and Carol wondered why it’d taken her so long to try it.

She’d returned to the trailer not long before Daryl and Sophia. Supper needed to be started. She was prepared for whatever Daryl brought back – whether it be squirrel or rabbit or whatever woodland creature he bagged. Carol couldn’t imagine living like this before. She bought meat from the grocery store, not hunted it fresh from the woods. Daryl believed that wildlife was just as good as store bought and it was damn free to boot.

Carol heard the footfalls on porch stairs. She was a bundle of nerves as Daryl walked in behind Sophia. Sophia ran up to her, bouncing on her toes.

“Mommy, we got a rabbit!”

“You did?”

The first time Sophia saw one of Daryl’s kills, she’d cried for the fluffy little critter. After seeing the process of skinning (which was a shock to Carol’s psyche at first too) and preparing it like any other meat, she grew used to Peter Cottontail being cute but could also be a tasty supper. Sophia had adjusted surprising well to these new ways of life.

“Already skinned and ready to cook up,” Daryl said, handing her the wrapped meat that he’d taken care of at one of his clearings in the woods.

Carol caught Daryl’s eyes, staring at each other for far longer than it needed for the exchange. Carol cleared her throat as she diverted her eyes away and worked on preparing their supper. His gaze remained on her, making her skin tingle and her heart hammer. She was well aware when Daryl stepped forward. He gently pulled her close to him, his hold so tender it made her chest ache.

“You okay?”

Every wire of tension in her body loosened at the soft tone of concern. She wrapped around him, pressing her forehead into his shoulder.

“I think we need to talk,” Carol managed to get out.

“I think so too.” She was thankful to hear Daryl agree. He untangled from her and cupped a hand under her chin. “After Soph goes to bed?”

Carol looked up at his coaxing and agreed.

***

They needed privacy and the front porch was not the place for private matters such as this. Sophia was tucked in snug as a bug, her GloWorm pulsing green light on her face as they said their goodnights to her. They made their way to the bedroom, and Daryl shut the door behind them.

Carol paced along the end of the bed, arms protectively around her middle. She wasn’t sure why she was so worried. Daryl had reassured her time and again in different ways that he didn’t want out. Carol was conditioned for years to walk on glass. Any good in her life besides her daughter was out of her grasp.

Daryl stepped into her path, cupping his hands along her forearms. She gathered the courage to meet his eye. She needed to lay everything on the table. She knew Daryl cared about Sophia, but she needed him to know she didn’t expect him to jump into a parental role he had no responsibility to.

She figured they might as well start where they left off earlier. “Weeks ago, Sophia told me how nice you are to her and asked why her father wasn’t. Then she said she wished you were her daddy. I don’t know why I didn’t remember that before our talk with her. I should have been more careful. She doesn’t know any better—”

“Hey--” Daryl slid his calloused palms down her arms. “It’s okay. It caught me off guard hearing her ask that. I never thought I’d ever be a daddy. I’d tossed the idea out my head long ago. But, me and her? We worked it out already.”

Carol’s brow furrowed in bewilderment. “You did?”

“I know Sophia don’t say or ask much unless it’s important to her. Me and her – we had a couple talks about this sorta thing. Carol, I need ya to know, her wantin’ me to be her daddy doesn’t scare me, okay? But I told her the decision was up to you. You had to be okay with it.”

All the time Daryl and Sophia were spending together; Carol didn’t realize just how close they had bonded. “This raises so many other things that we need to discuss.”

Daryl nodded. She could see the wheels in his head turning for what else to say. “I know we just started this, and it may be too soon to talk about.” He swallowed hard, his intense gaze penetrating her to the core as if his soul was trying to reach hers. “I want _you_. Want to be with you. Want a life with you and Sophia. You both become my family.”

Carol stared, owl-eyed, at his confession. Her mind was racing a mile a second, but her mouth failed to catch up. Her lips slightly parted open as she continued to stare at Daryl. He’d laid it out – plain as day. They could be a family. He could be the father Sophia deserved. They could build a life together.

“Carol, say something,” Daryl coaxed in a worried tone. His features were on the verge of being crushed. “I never done this before and don’t know if I’m doing it right.”

The urgency in his voice snapped her back into reality. She shook herself out of her shock. All her worries and concern fell away. This was real. _He_ was real. They had a future together.

Carol crossed the short distance, taking his face in her hands and capturing his lips. She poured every bit of emotion that was teeming in her into the kiss. Daryl didn’t waste any time deepening their connection. His hand snake behind her neck, drawing her closer. When they finally pulled apart, their breathes were heavy upon each other’s faces.

“I love you,” Carol murmured against his lips, laying her heart out before her head could catch up.

Daryl leaned back slightly. She searched his eyes for any fear, but all she found was admiration. Daryl grazed his knuckles along her cheek. “Love you, too.”

The most brilliant smile broke out across Carol’s lips. Her heart soared to heights it had never reached before. Her and Ed’s love confession had taken place in a car while they were driving to a bar. She’d worked up the courage to let him know that she was in love with him. He’d patted her on the thigh accompanied by ‘ _yeah, love you’_ tossed out casually.

The solidity in Daryl’s voice as he uttered them spoke volumes. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that he _did_ love her. No matter how she doubted her own self-worth for happiness, she couldn’t deny that Daryl truly wanted and cared for her.

Carol clung to him as she enveloped her arms around his neck. He held her with strong arms against him. Melting into one was the only way they could possible be any closer. Carol buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing out a sigh of relief as the weight of years fell from her.

They had far more to discuss and sort out, but in this tender moment, nothing else needed to be spoken.

***

Warm kisses upon her neck drew Carol to the waking world. She sighed her contentment, her thoughts swirling in a lovely space between waking and dreaming. Fingers crept over the dip of her waist and down her stomach, curling under her and shifting her closer against the bareness of Daryl’s chest.

Their discussion the evening before was put on hold in exchange for spending the rest of the night in each other’s arms. Carol had never felt this safe, this loved. Daryl had kissed her into oblivion, their hands roaming along skin and over clothing. They’d fallen asleep curled against each other.

Carol pushed her bottom half a closer, eyes popping open at the hardness pressed into her. “Happy to see me this morning?”

“Happy to see you any time a’the day,” Daryl countered, continuing to plant lazy kisses along her neck. His thumb rubbed over her stomach through her sleep shirt before he freed his hand from underneath her. His fingers glided along her waist, up her hip, down her thigh then traveled back the way it came – leaving behind a trail of fire that made Carol’s breath pick up pace.

Carol wiggled against the hardness behind her, and a sharp intake hissed in her ear.

“Getting’ something started, woman?” Daryl’s whiskers tickled her ear.

Carol rolled onto her back. “Wish I could.” She swallowed hard as Daryl’s fingers crept to her inner thigh and toiling with the hem of her long shirt. The heat between her legs was almost unbearable. It took every ounce of her to not mount Daryl and ride him into the mattress. That idea didn’t help either, igniting warmth across her face. She hated to be the killjoy. “When we do get something started, we need to be prepared.”

“Toldja I ain’t no boy scout,” Daryl quipped.

“But you’re not reckless either,” Carol reminded him, catching his gaze in the dim light of the morning. “I was on birth control before coming here. My prescription is still valid for a few months. I could call it in.”

Daryl propped up on his elbow, and Carol felt a loss when his hand left her thigh – his finger strokes still ghosting over her skin. “Okay.”

She gave him a little smile. “I’ll call it in when we get to the shop.”

“Is this what you want?” Daryl’s voice held a thickness that told her exactly what he was meaning. A life together. Being a family. _Him._

She pulled him down for a kiss, showing him as well as telling him. Her sincerity shone bright. “It is.”


	17. Part 17

“We’ll be fine.”

“I don’t like the idea of you walkin’ ‘round on the street when he could be anywhere.”

They were standing outside of the auto parts store. Daryl had to run in to pick up a part. Carol had to pick up her prescription from the pharmacy down the street. She figured it would save time if they split up to run their individual errands. Daryl wasn’t keen on the idea.

Carol grasped his hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “There are people all around here. He can’t force me to do anything even if he was in this part of town and tried.”

Daryl gave her a long, hard look. “I don’t like this. I’ll meet you down there as soon as I can. Be careful.”

Carol laid a kiss on his cheek. “I will.”

Daryl glanced from her to Sophia, petting Sophia’s head affectionately before turning to enter the auto store. Carol and Sophia started down the sidewalk, hand in hand. She glanced down at her daughter and gave her arm a playful little wiggle. Sophia looked up and giggled at her mother. Carol felt lighter than she had in a very long time.

They made it to the pharmacy, ducking inside. A few minutes later, the new pack of birth control was tucked away in Carol’s purse. She knew no one in the vicinity knew what her and Daryl were looking forward to behind their own doors, but she couldn’t help the flush coloring her cheeks at the thought of the next step in their relationship. Daryl loved her and she loved him – their feelings laid out now. They were becoming a family more and more every day. A family that she’d always hoped for. A family that was a faded dream when her and Ed were together. How things had changed.

“Mommy,” Sophia brought her back from her inner wanderings, “can we get ice cream?”

Carol followed Sophia’s finger pointing at the ice cream truck that was parked a short way passed the pharmacy. “Sure, we can, sweetheart. We’ll wait on Daryl to come find us and then order.”

Sophia beamed up at her.

Carol couldn’t believe the weight that had been lifted from her since leaving her husband. Before, Ed would have snapped at her for buying something as frivolous as ice cream. He hated spending money on anything special for Sophia – whether it was treats or toys. Now, Carol wasn’t under his oppressive weight and she had her own money lining the inside of her wallet. Daryl would never criticize or hurt her for it.

Carol watched down the sidewalk, hoping to spy Daryl coming from the auto parts store. Her heart dropped like an anchor into her stomach at a familiar voice behind her. A voice that haunted her.

“Where the hell have you been!?”

Daryl was right. As soon as she was alone, Ed would find her, and he did. Carol gripped Sophia’s hand, pulling the little girl behind her legs. Sophia buried her face in Carol’s backend, already clutching to her jeans with fists.

Ed was exactly how her nightmares showcased him. A sickening sensation overcame her every time he approached her with his fists cocked and cruelty in his tone. Carol hoped she’d never experience it again, but the sensation was slamming into her like a sledgehammer.

Ed stomped forward a couple steps, and Carol instinctively shrank back. She should run. Scoop up Sophia and dash to the auto store and throw herself into Daryl’s protective arms. But she stood there frozen in place by the unexpected jolt of being face to face with her abuser once more.

“You think you’re gonna get one over me,” Ed snarled, eyes flashing in that all-too familiar malicious light. “Filing a police report AND filing for divorce. Where the sh-t are you getting the money? I know you aren’t back at the diner and you’re sure as hell not smart enough to get another job. Forget this little runaway sh-t parade and get your a-s back home.”

“I’m not going back there with you,” Carol hated hearing the tremble in her voice. Little sniffles and whimpers drifted from behind her as Sophia rubbed her face in Carol’s jeans.

Ed grunted in exasperation as he rolled his eyes skyward. Without warning, he lunged forward at Carol, stretching out to snatch her forearm as he routinely did behind the walls of their house of horrors. Her pulse slammed in her ears. Before Ed could get a good hold on her arm, Carol jumped to the side causing his fingernails to scratch across her skin.

“Back off her!”

Carol’s back hit the brick wall of the pharmacy as she pulled Sophia out of the way before getting squished behind her. Her stomach did a wild flip at the scene unfolding. She wished she could be relieved to see Daryl there, walled between her and Ed, her protective shield from the snarling giant. But she knew where this could lead and seeing Daryl arrested for brawling on the street would help neither of them. A few passer-byers and attendant from the ice cream truck had gathered, the ice cream man appearing as if he was about to join in on the brewing fight. She had to stop this. She couldn’t let Daryl take down Ed in the middle of town on a busy street.

“Carol, you okay?” Daryl called to her, keeping his eyes fixed on Ed.

“Yes,” she replied, sounding weaker than she meant for it to.

“Oh, I see. I remember you.” Ed jabbed his chin at Daryl then reverted to addressing Carol. “You’re whoring around with this redneck trash dump. You were probably screwing him that whole time you were working at the diner. Weren’t you, you little tramp!”

Carol watched Daryl’s torso take in sharp breathes, his fists clinching at his sides. Ed wouldn’t dish out the first blow. He never did when it came to a fight with a man. He would twist the knife until Daryl lost his composure, and then Daryl would be to blame for starting the fight.

“Daryl, please,” she pleaded, reaching out for his arm. He flinched when she touched him but then allowed her to pull him back to her. “He wants to provoke you into attacking him.”

Daryl grunted in response. He glared knives through Ed. A hiccupping sob came from Sophia, who had been pushed between them. Carol scooped her up and held her daughter protectively against her. Sophia buried her face in Carol’s neck, hiding away from the terrible scene that she’d just witnessed. Carol petted her daughter’s blonde hair, hoping to give her some comfort.

“Hey man!” the ice cream attendant addressed Ed. He inched closer with his hands out in front of him. “If you don’t stop harassing that woman and leave right now, I’m calling the cops!”

Ed shot Carol one last cold glare before storming off, popping off a stream of swearing. Daryl’s eyes stayed intent on Ed’s back until the other man made it to his car parked a couple blocks down. By then, Carol was thanking the ice cream attendant. The ice cream man told her he’d be more than willing to give a statement to the police on her behalf. She thanked him again for his offer and told him who to talk to at the police station.

The gawkers had dispersed by then. Daryl turned Carol back down the way they’d come. Daryl grabbed the truck part he’d unceremoniously flung to the ground when he jumped onto the scene. Carol startled when he touched the small of her back, and she offered an apologetic smile his way.

“You okay? Did he hurt you?”

Carol shook her head, but then remembered Ed’s fingernails grazing her arm when he lunged for her. Thankfully, he hadn’t broken the skin. “No, I’m fine,” she murmured because the red marks weren’t worth mentioning. She’d dealt with far worse.

“Soph?” Daryl prompted.

Warm tears soaked in the fabric of her blouse where Sophia rested her head. “I never let him get near her.”

Daryl nodded, and they walked back to his truck in silence the rest of the way.

***

Daryl’s focus was shot the rest of the day. That prick had blatantly attempted to take Carol and Sophia on a busy street. They weren’t safe alone, and possibly never would be safe until Ed Peletier was in prison. Or they moved far, far away where he couldn’t find them. Moving wasn’t an option. At least, not right now.

Carol made sure to call in the incident right away. Officer Grimes assured her that he would file the report and personally take the ice cream attendant’s statement when he came into the station. Maybe this would add fuel to the fire of throwing Ed’s worthless sack of bones in prison, but Daryl had his doubts.

Supper was leftovers from the evening before. None of them felt much like eating and only picked at the meal. Sophia wouldn’t leave Carol’s side. She’d fallen asleep on Carol’s lap while they were at the shop and followed at her heels since they’d gotten home.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Mommy needs to get cleaned up too, okay? I’ll be right back,” Carol soothed as she handed Sophia to Daryl so she could go wash off the day.

Sophia whimpered, lip trembling as a cry built up. She stretched an arm out toward Carol, and the heartbreak was visible on Carol’s features. Daryl could tell she was about to give in and bring Sophia with her. He caught Carol’s hand, squeezing it gently.

“She’ll be okay. You get cleaned up.”

Carol gave him a sad smile before heading to the bathroom.

Sophia’s tears leaked down her cheeks. Daryl mopped them away with the kitchen towel as he told her softly that it would be all right. He took a seat on the couch with her in his lap. He held her close, feathering the pads of his fingers along her arm soothingly. She calmed after a few minutes, and he thought maybe she’d fallen asleep. When he tilted his head down to check, her eyes stared off – lost in whatever was going on inside her head.

The trailer was quiet with only the distant stream of water falling from the shower could be heard. Sophia was relaxed and fiddling with Daryl’s shirt buttons by the time Carol emerged from the bathroom. She perked up at the door opening. Daryl rubbed her back.

“See? She wasn’t gone long.”

Sophia shifted on his lap to see her mother better but didn’t climb off. Carol smiled at her as she made her way to the couch – dressed in her pajamas – to join them. Sophia nabbed Carol’s hand and hugged it to her chest, not letting go.

Carol sighed. “I’m sorry. For not listening to you.” She paused and Daryl kept quiet, waiting patiently for her to gather her thoughts. “Being with you has made me feel safe for the first time in a very long time. I felt free. I threw out caution.” She swallowed hard, blinking back tears. “He was willing to drag me away today. Right in front of a bunch of people. If nobody had stepped up, if _you_ hadn’t showed up in time, I would have fought him. I would not have gone quietly. I didn’t have the strength – the willingness – to do that before. I’m stronger now, but not strong enough to protect myself. I want to learn how to defend myself. I don’t want you to put yourself at risk. If he ever comes near me again – near Sophia – and tries to grab us or attack us, I want to be able to defend us.”

Daryl rested his free hand on her thigh. “You know I’d do anything to protect you and Soph. I don’t care about riskin’ my own life for that.”

“I know and I’m so grateful we have you,” Carol smiled, brushing his hair back at his temple, “but you can’t be with us everywhere all the time.”

“Whatcha want to know how to do?”

“Self-defense. Maybe how to shoot a gun. Anything it takes.”

“Okay. If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”

***

Sophia cried when Carol announced it was time for bed. She feared being alone, and Daryl didn’t blame her. The poor girl was reminded earlier of what her father was capable of. The healing that Carol and Daryl had cultivated, all the gentle care to bring her comfort and security had been scratched raw again in one swipe. Carol was prepared to lay with her, but Sophia pleaded for them both.

“So much for our own bed,” Carol joked, half-heartedly.

Sophia ended up curled in a ball between them, GloWorm tucked in the crook of her arm. Little fingers tangled in Carol’s shirt, and her back pressed against Daryl’s side.

“S’alright. She needs this more than we do right now.”

Carol’s hand found his across the mount that was her daughter. She laced her fingers through his. He could only see her silhouette in the dark, but he could feel her smiling. “You’re doing a great job—” she paused, unsure if her next words should be set free yet, “being a daddy. You were made for this.”

Daryl grunted in response, still not accustom to taking compliments from her. It wasn’t hard, really, stepping in as Sophia’s daddy. It was like he knew exactly what she needed. It didn’t take much thought process to figure it out. He enjoyed his new role. It gave him a purpose that seemed unreachable just a few months ago.

Daryl brought her hand to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. “Love you.”

“I love you too.”

He focused on Carol’s steady breathing and tried to tuck away the happenings of the day until sleep finally overcame him.


	18. Part 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! This chapter took way longer than anticipated. I wasn't satisfied with where it was going and had to rewrite most all of it. I feel better about how it came out! Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with this story <3

It took the length of a week, but they reclaimed their bed. The first three nights, Sophia cried out and thrashed from night terrors. All three nights she remained in a state of wakeful unconsciousness. Carol had held her and soothed her until she returned to a calmed sleep.

Daryl had heard Sophia’s night terrors through the thin walls of the trailer, but he’d never witnessed one. He laid there, feeling useless, as Carol methodically ticked through the ways to calm her daughter, a routine she’d no doubt had practiced dozens of times.

Finally, the night terrors subsided and the only disturbance from Sophia was her heel kicks in Daryl’s side. Daryl hadn’t shared a bed with anyone since he was a kid. His mother would lay with him when he wasn’t feeling well. Merle grudgingly allowed him to crawl into his bed on a few occasions when Daryl’s nightmares were so bad he was to the point of a panic attack. Thankfully, he’d grown out of those as a kid. But, mostly, Daryl slept alone all his life. As much as he cared for Sophia and wanted her to feel safe, he was relieved when Carol told her daughter she had to go back to her own bed.

Carol was waiting for him as he stepped out of the bathroom, a warm smile welcoming him to bed. _Their bed._ She hadn’t yet come to bed when he’d entered the bathroom.

“She’s asleep.”

“Good.”

Daryl paused on his side of the bed – he let Carol choose which side she preferred – weighing if he should remove his white t-shirt. Carol’s watchful gaze made the tips of his ears heat up. He grunted in frustration at the schoolboy reaction of being self-conscious about stripping down right in front of her. He sucked in a breath and snatched the collar of his shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor. He caught Carol’s eye, a playful little smile playing on her lips. He flipped the covers back, joining her.

Daryl settled on his side, tentatively splaying his hand over Carol’s waist as she shifted to her side to face him. Carol gave a content little sigh at the brush of his fingers. The light from the bedside lamp illuminated her soft features and Daryl’s heart swelled that this beautiful woman was sharing a bed with him.

“You happy with this?” Daryl finally broke the quiet that had settled around them. “Being in here with me?”

“I am.” Carol let out a breath that sounded like a light chuckle but not quite there. Then she sobered and swallowed hard. “I don’t have to sleep with one eye open. Don’t have to curl up against the side to give you as much space as possible. You’re a dream to sleep next to after 10 years of having to share a bed with Ed. I don’t have to be afraid.”

Daryl glowered at the mention of Ed. He had no desire for that man’s name to be spoken in their bed, but he bit back his displeasure. Ed was apart of Carol’s life for a long time and he wouldn’t force her to stop talking about him. One day soon – Daryl hoped -- Ed Peletier would be a forgotten memory.

“I never shared a bed with anyone,” Daryl confessed, his fingers idly feathering her waist.

“Are you okay with this?”

“Wouldn’tna cleaned out Merle’s nasty crap and made it nice for ya if I didn’t want you in here with me.”

Carol giggled into her pillow in the cutest possible way causing Daryl’s cheeks to warm. She stretched her hand out to trace a line along the corner of his mouth down to his chin. “Thank you for all the work you put into it.”

Daryl nodded, stiffly. He didn’t know if he’d ever get used to compliments.

“It’s been the recommended week for it to be safe to be intimate on the pill.” Carol chuckled. “Thanks to Sophia, our natural birth control.”

Daryl snorted. “Yeah.” Carol’s fingers were in his hair, the combing sending little waves of pleasure through him. She liked touching him, and he liked when she touched him.

“Can I ask you something, Daryl?”

He hummed distractedly, lost in her ministrations.

“Something Merle mentioned when he showed up that day. He said he was worried you weren’t _right_ and that you proved him wrong when he saw me here. I know you said take everything Merle says with a grain of salt, basically, but why did he say that?”

Daryl was suddenly uncomfortable about where this was going. “ ‘Cause, he ain’t ever known me to be with a woman.”

A beat of silence passed. “Daryl, how many women have you been with?”

“Not counting the two that I misfired with,” he swallowed hard, uncertain how she’d take his answer, “none, really.”

Carol’s mouth hung open for a second. “You haven’t ever--?”

Daryl pulled back, creating a gap between them. He wasn’t one to get self-conscious about his manhood. He’d started ignoring that a long time ago after being hounded for years by Merle. But with Carol – would she think less of him? He averted his gaze to the pillow, headboard, anywhere but Carol’s face.

“If ya askin’ if I lost my virginity? Yeah, I have. Barely, but I did as a stupid a-s teenager in the bed of my old pickup truck.” He shook his head at the memory of Laura Ann Caldwell agreeing to ride out to the quarry in his beat-up pickup truck the day after he got his driver’s license. She was cute and she wanted to stick it to her prick of a father that she could do whatever the hell she wanted. She was using Daryl, but at the time, he didn’t care. He blindly went along with it. He barely made it inside her when he came. Whether she earned her satisfaction with sticking it to her father or the disappointment from the barely-there sex, Laura Ann never talked to him again.

“Didn’t care if I had sex or not. I could jerk myself off when I needed to. I didn’t have the taste for women like Merle does. He wants to feel something, no matter who it comes from – whether he knows the woman or just picked her up in a bar. I couldn’t do that. Couldn’t live like that no matter how hard he tried to sway me that way. Like I toldja, if I was gonna be with a woman, I wanted it to be a decent one and I gave up lookin’ long time ago. Made my peace with being alone for the rest of my life.”

Daryl sucked in a hesitant breath and caught Carol’s gaze in his. “Until you.”

His heart did a flip as Carol beamed at him. She didn’t care about his experience. She didn’t chalk him up to his ability. The light in her eyes said it all. “You are one patient man, Daryl Dixon. I’m flattered that I’m the only one you’ve ever felt that way toward.”

Daryl shrugged, as if his next words were the most obvious fact in the world. “You’re the best woman I ever known. You’re easy to love.”

Something in her cracked. Daryl could pinpoint the exact second. Carol’s eyes brimmed with tears and she sucked in a shaky breath over her trembling bottom lip. He was about to ask her if she was okay, but Carol captured his lips and he swallowed the question down. There was a hunger there that he’d never experienced from her before. He’d just about lost every sense when she pulled away, and he chased her lips, craving more. How did he live all these years without her? Daryl knew he couldn’t survive without her; not after he’d just begun to taste life with her.

“I need you,” Carol urged.

“You have me.” His thumb swiped along her cheek, carrying away the tear that had rolled down. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

Carol blinked, searching his eyes. “Are you?”

Everything was laid out on the table. They were free to show their love in the most intimate, raw form. But, the moment wasn’t calling for that and pit in Daryl’s gut told him that. Now that he’d been reminded of his lack of experience, lack of thirst all those years, he questioned whether he could bestow the pleasure Carol sought.

“Was Ed your only—” he trailed off, not wishing to finish. He hated bringing up Ed’s name. Like ashes on his tongue.

Carol licked her lips, dragging her tooth across her bottom lip as she did. “I didn’t have time to date all those years of taking care of my mother when she was ill.” She shrugged the shoulder that she wasn’t laying on. “He was my only.” It was then that she sat up, crossing her legs in front of her, examining her hands as they began to wring together. “Some of my experience with him was nice, pleasurable. Especially in the beginning. But after a while, he controlled when it happened and how it happened. It was all about _him_. He wouldn’t even touch me from the time I found out I was pregnant until a whole year after Sophia was born. He thought breastfeeding was the worst possible decision I could have made.” She heaved a sigh. “Honestly, I was relieved he didn’t want me like that for those two years.”

Daryl remained quiet as he digested all that she’d shared with him. He tamped down the anger at Ed for being the a-shole he was to Carol. That was over and Ed would never get the chance to hurt her again. Daryl shifted his thoughts elsewhere. He imagined a baby bump on Carol. Her hand lovingly caressing the roundness. He imagined her cradling Sophia as a tiny newborn. Cooing to her and kissing her pink little face. His heart ached to think all that was there in the boundaries of his town, right there and he missed it.

“I bet you were one stunning pregnant lady,” he blurted out as his thoughts manifested into words.

Carol scoffed. “If you like round and fat with swollen ankles.”

Daryl sat up to join her. His fingernails began to scrap lightly up and down her back. “Sounds hot to me.”

“Stop it,” Carol chuckled, finding his knee under the covers and giving it a playful squeeze. A grin spread across her lips as she looked at him. “I can’t believe I’m going to admit this to you—"

“Go on,” Daryl coaxed, “don’t leave me hangin’, woman.”

“Ed never knew about this. I saved up money from cash he would give me and bought a—” her cheeks colored a lovely pink, “--a vibrator. I had needs and it did the job.” She hid her face behind her hands. “I can’t believe I just told you that.”

Daryl gently grabbed her wrist and pulled one of her hands down. She voluntarily dropped the other. “Ain’t nothing wrong with that. Like you said, you had needs and it did the job. No different than me jerking off when I had to.”

Carol tilted her head to watch him carefully. “I’m ready. I want to be with you like that. But, I want it to happen naturally. Right now, feels like there’s too much anticipation, if that makes any sense.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“You’re not,” Carol hesitated as if preparing herself for an onslaught of negativity, her mood suddenly shifting, “upset? Angry?”

Daryl’s jaw clinched. He felt like he'd been doused with cold water. He knew the pain of where her questions were coming from. “Carol, do you trust me?”

She swallowed hard. “With my life,” she barely murmured, “and with Sophia’s.”

Carol flinched as he reached out to her. Daryl held his hands out, showing he meant no harm. Carol hung her head, the tension in her body uncoiling slightly. She let him hug her to him, her shaky breath crossing his bare chest. She was working through emotions that he couldn’t fathom. They’d both knew abusers in their lives, but Carol’s was raw, ongoing. Manipulative and physical in ways Daryl hadn’t experience.

Daryl pulled away first, needing some resolve to the evening. “Let’s get some sleep, okay?”

Carol met his eyes, the blue in hers glassy from unshed tears. She needed resolve as much as he did. “Okay.”


	19. Part 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes mentions of abuse.

Daryl already knew he owed Andrea a thousand times over. She’d taken in his brother. _Again._ She’d offered to oversee Carol’s divorce without personal pay. Now, she was helping Carol learn self-defense.

Being a defense attorney, Andrea had dealt with her share of unsavory clients over the years. She learned self-defense in her early college years and had taken refresher courses ever since then. She offered to teach Carol some standard moves after being informed of the altercation with Ed Peletier on the street. They met up at the local gym, Andrea was a member of, one Saturday morning for a lesson.

Daryl sat with his back against the wall cross-legged with Sophia perched in his lap. The workout room for exercise classes was spacious. A thin layer of grey carpet covered the floor with absolutely no padding underneath. Daryl guessed his a-s would be killing him by the time he got up.

“Two pretty ladies trying to jump my bones.” An audible lick of the lips followed by, “I’ma enjoy this.”

Daryl groaned deep in his throat. Andrea’s chosen “attacker” was none other than his brother. Andrea narrowed her eyes, throwing an unbelievable look his way.

“Merle, you do realize what we’re doing here, right?”

Merle stepped up to Andrea, all cocked up like a farmyard rooster. “Close encounter with my woman,” he tilted his head toward Carol, “and my brother’s woman—” he chuckled, glancing back at Daryl wearing a dirty grin, “You willin’ to share, lil’ brother?”

“Shut the hell up, Merle!” Daryl flung back, not hiding his aggravation. “The both of you. _Kick his a-s_!” He wasn’t worried about Merle touching Carol inappropriately – because if Merle so much as attempted to cop a feel anywhere on Carol’s body, Daryl would drop him right there with one slug to the jaw. Daryl didn’t take seriously the disgusting comments, but he did worry they would make Carol uncomfortable.

“We’ll cover that soon enough,” Andrea remarked with a mischievous glimmer in her blue eyes.

Carol remained quiet throughout the whole exchange. She glanced at Daryl a few times. He caught her eye, nodding his support for her. These lessons could be useful if she ever needed to defend herself and he wanted to encourage her in any way.

“The first tactic is the groin kick,” Andrea began, “it’s simple enough. If an attacker comes at you from the front. Don’t let them have the chance to get close enough to grab you.” Andrea moved Merle where she wanted him on the mat. She stepped a short distance from him and gestured for him to advance toward her. “Lean back, lift your dominant leg,” she explained as she walked through the steps using Merle, “and slam your shin into the groin as hard as you can.”

“Whoa, sugar,” Merle said when Andrea’s shin bumped his groin. “Don’t damage the goods. You need them just as much as me.”

Andrea rolled her eyes skyward. “You’re going to make a remark about your crotch every chance you get, aren’t you?”

Merle raised his hands in surrender. “Just reminding you not to mistake me for the a-shole she’s trying to get away from.”

“You’re a big boy, Merle,” Carol’s voice surprised everyone in the room. She wore a sweetly deceiving smile. “I’m sure this isn’t the first time your family jewels were assaulted because of your grabby hands.”

Andrea nearly doubled over, her shoulders bouncing as a whooping laugh escaped her. Daryl smirked proudly, his chest popping a little from his own laughter.

“Brother, you better keep hold of your woman,” Merle warned, though a slight grin betrayed his tone. “The little mouse has teeth and they sharp too.”

Bantering aside, they got busy working through the steps for tactics like heel palm strike, elbow strike, and escape from ‘bear hug attack’. Merle behaved himself and kept his comments to a minimal. As they were practicing the ‘bear hug attack’, Daryl felt Sophia huddle farther into his lap and tension stiffened her body. She whimpered, turning to hide her face in his chest.

“It’s okay, Soph,” Daryl comforted, hugging her. “Your Ma is okay. Miss Andrea is just showin’ her how to get away from a bad guy. Uncle Merle ain’t hurtin’ your Ma. It’s all pretend.”

Stringing the words ‘uncle’ and ‘Merle’ together left Daryl’s tongue stiff. Having a family like this would take some getting used to. Sophia didn’t need to watch the lesson anymore and he quickly whisked her outside, catching Carol’s attention to say they were going for a walk.

Carol’s gaze watched Daryl tote Sophia out the door with a little tug of nerves in her stomach. She reminded herself, no matter if it were in the woods or on the street, that her daughter was safe with him. Maybe even faster than she was with her.

“You’re doing great, Carol,” Andrea clapping her hands and bringing Carol’s attention back to the lesson. “Let’s work on one more tactic before calling it a day. Breaking from a wrist hold.” Andrea held out her arm, signaling Merle to grab her wrist. She walked through the steps as she explained. “As soon as the attacker grabs you, kick their leg at the knee, twist your wrist like this, and yank them off balance. You can then deliver a kick behind their knee to further incapacitate them.”

Andrea stepped away from Merle and motioned Carol to take her place. Carol’s breath hitched a notch. She’d gotten comfortable working with Merle during the lessons. Besides the innuendos tossed out here and there, he’d behaved himself. She accepted him more as Daryl’s brother than a stranger now. Even when he asserted the ‘bear hug attack’, she wasn’t bothered too much by the close encounter. But, there was something about the wrist hold that had gotten her heartrate hammering.

Carol hesitantly offered her wrist, and as soon as Merle grabbed a hold of it, she felt a jolt surge through her. The man in front of her wasn’t Daryl’s brother anymore. The hand attached to her wrist wasn’t there to walk her through an exercise in self-defense. All she could see, all she could feel was _him_ and she desperately needed to get away before _he_ hurt her again.

With the knowledge and adrenaline of the lessons coursing through her, Carol’s body reacted all on its own accord. She twisted her wrist in a direction that caused Merle to release her then slammed a kick to his leg. Merle yelped out at the impact, but Carol’s body kept going as she slammed her heel into Merle’s jawbone. A string of curses poured out of his mouth as he stumbled back. That’s when Carol’s mind caught up with her eyes. The man in front of her wasn’t Ed.

Carol’s hands flew to her mouth, covering it in shock. Her eyes were blown wide as she darted them from Merle to Andrea, who looked just as shocked as her.

“Oh my-” Carol stammered out, “Merle, I’m so sorry.”

“Sh-t, mouse!” Merle twisted his jaw to work out the soreness. “You do bite.”

Tears pricked at the corners of Carol’s eyes. Her breathing became shallower as the realization of what just happened in her mind. The onslaught of tears were beginning to blur her vision and she had to escape before she completely broke down in front of her companions. Carol dashed toward the closest door, not knowing where she was going – only knowing she had to get away until she could compose herself.

The door led to a long, dark hallway. Halfway down the hall, she stopped and pressed her back against the wall – attempting to take in deep breathes to calm herself. She finally released the tears she’d held back, and the warm droplets streamed down her cheeks and nose.

“Carol?” she heard Andrea call from the entrance of the hallway. Within seconds, the other woman was at her side. “Are you okay?”

Saying _she was fine_ would be the biggest lie of the year, so Carol just shook her head. Andrea touched her shoulder, gently, soothingly. Carol was thankful for the lack of light in the hallway.

“Is Merle okay?” Carol managed out, her voice shaking.

“He’s fine. Merle’s had worse sh-t knocked out of him. Believe me, he can take a few hits and walk away like it was only a mosquito bite.”

“Is he—” Carol drew in another shaky breath, “angry with me?”

Andrea let out a light chuckle. “No. I think he was more impressed than anything. You’ve earned some respectable points with him.”

Carol felt a small bit of relief at Andrea’s words. She hadn’t meant to hurt Merle and any anger from him toward her was justified in her mind.

“What happened back there?” Andrea inquired after a moment of quiet.

Carol shook her head, the thought of minutes ago flashes in her mind. She shuddered. “It was like I was somewhere else. With someone else.”

Andrea nodded slowly in understanding.

“After I cut off my hair, Ed needed something to grab me by and that became my wrist. When Merle grabbed me, all I could see, all I could feel was Ed and I had to get away. All the tactics you just poured into me were fresh on my mind and I had to fight him. To get away before he hurt me again.”

Carol shut her eyes tight, another batch of tears falling. She quickly swiped them away, agitated and exhausted from shedding tears for what happened all the years she allowed Ed to hurt her.

“I was in a relationship several years back,” Andrea began, “His name was Phillip and he was the most charming son of a gun you’d ever met. A good friend of mine warned me that he was bad news, but I didn’t want to listen to her. I didn’t see passed the good guy exterior he wore. The first time he told me I needed to stay away from the friend that warned me about him, I got suspicious, but he quickly won me over again. He gradually alienated me from people I cared about and when I finally called him out on it, that’s when the devil showed itself. He grabbed me by my arms and shook me. Nearly slammed me into a wall. It was like I was seeing a completely different person. He left bruises on me.”

Andrea sighed. “I left him, but he didn’t leave me that easily. He harassed me for months afterwards. Phillip is the reason I learned self-defense.” She rubbed a hand up and down Carol’s arm. “I don’t know how it is to live with that for years, but I understand to a degree. I can still see Phillip’s face inches from mine and feel his hands squeezing my arms like a vice. I understand. It doesn’t go away. Carol, what happened to you and how you reacted won’t be held against you.”

Through the dim stream of light coming from the doorway, a few tears glistened on Andrea’s face. “Are you okay?” Carol asked, knowing all too well how hard it must have been for Andrea to confess her own painful past to her.

Andrea mopped her face with her shirt sleeve. “I’m fine. Are you?”

Carol checked herself. Her breathing was calmed, and her heartrate had slowed. Ed’s face was fading from her mind’s eyes. “I think so.” She found Andrea’s hand and gave her a gentle squeeze. “Thank you. For sharing that with me.”

Andrea smiled, warmly. “You’re gonna make it through this. I promise.”


	20. Part 20

“Daddy Daryl, look.” The little girl held up a tiny purple flower.

“Looks nice, Soph. Why don’tcha pick some for your Ma.”

Sophia scampered off to pick more tiny flowers from the patch of yard they were currently occupying. A strange wave hit Daryl every time he heard Sophia’s voice call him now. A few days before, Sophia made the decision all on her own to start calling him ‘Daddy Daryl’. Carol had blanched as pale as a sheet when the words projected casually out of her daughter’s mouth the first time. The subject hadn’t been brought up since the day Sophia had asked Daryl if he could be her new daddy. The topic had never been resolved. Daryl had spoken his piece on the matter that day. He was fine with the new role, but it was up to Carol to decide. Turns out, Sophia decided for her and after the initial shock wore off, Carol deemed it acceptable.

There was still many important topics they needed to discuss and sort out, but for now, they strolled along each day enjoying the little family they created. Daryl truly was fine with it all. Though his given new role threw him inwardly for a loop sometimes, it put a smile on his face that Sophia held him in such high regard.

“Did that little pup just call you _daddy_?”

“Yeah,” Daryl replied, not bothering to look at his brother who’d strolled up behind him. “It’s what she wants.”

“Is that what you _want_ , brother?” Merle plopped down beside him on the bench.

Daryl shrugged. “I’m not against it.”

Merle took his time retrieving a cigarette from his pack then offer one to Daryl. Daryl slid one out the pack and waited for Merle to light both of theirs.

“So,” Merle blew out a cloud of smoke, “you plannin’ to really keep this woman? You really set on that family?”

“Toldja I was. It’s that simple. Carol and Soph’re my family.” Daryl glanced at Merle from the corners of his eyes, hopeful. “You apart of that too, y’know. Keep yourself cleaned up. Maybe finally get somewhere with Andrea. We can all be a family together.”

“You really want that?”

Daryl nodded, firmly. “I really want that.”

Merle raised his eyebrows at him. “And you think it’ll happened with this woman?”

“I do. Y’know we didn’t have that growin’ up. Didn’t think I had it in me to know how to have a right proper family. Our old man never lived a good example of bein’ a good husband and father. I doubted myself nearly every day since Carol decided to stay with me -- if I’m doin’ it right. But, I must be doin’ something right because she’s still here an’ both her and Soph are doing good. They happy with what we got. And I’m happy with that.”

“That simple, huh?”

“That simple.”

“You plannin’ on marryin’ her too?”

Daryl shifted uncomfortably as the topic. “We hadn’t talked about it yet.” And, they needed to. Daryl’s stomach churned. His full intensions remained hidden away inside his head and his heart. After all Carol had been through, she may not want to be married again. She may not want to be tied to another person. He had to prepare himself for that. “We keep puttin’ it off – the talkin’ ‘bout it. We just happy with what we got right now. Can’t get married ‘til she’s free of that bastard abuser anyways.”

Sophia dashed up to Daryl, clutching a tiny bouquet of purple flowers. When she caught sight of Merle, she halted in her tracks. Her eyes were wide, watching him like a deer staring down a hunter’s gun.

“It’s okay, Soph.” Daryl waved for her to come to him. She skirted around, keeping as far to Daryl’s side and away from Merle as she could. He clamped a hand on Merle’s shoulder. “You know Merle – Uncle Merle. He’s my brother. Remember? He was just playin’ the bad guy so your Ma can learn to take care of herself.”

Merle grinned at her. “I won’t bit, darlin’.” He turned his head, tapping at the side of his jaw. “Look what your Ma did to me. She beat my a**. I think she gonna do just fine takin’ care of herself.”

“Sh*t,” Daryl sucked in a hissed breath, “Carol did that?”

“Naw, the kangaroo I was boxing with. Hell yeah, she did. Something came over her, like she was havin’ a spell ‘er something. She nailed me pretty damn good.”

“She okay?”

“She was a mite upset afterwards, but Andrea’s in there takin’ care of ‘er.” Merle spread his hands out, smiling at Sophia – trying his best to look friendly. “See, darlin’? Nothin’ to fear from ole’ Merle.”

The rigidness in Sophia’s body visibly relaxed. She leaned against Daryl’s side farthest away from Merle. Daryl dropped his cigarette and snubbed it out with the toe of his boot. He wrapped an arm loosely around her middle.

“This ones for you,” Sophia murmured close to his face. She held up a small, delicate white flower flaunting a raised yellow middle.

Daryl smiled at her. He pinched the flower’s skinny stem between his thumb and pointer finger. “Thank you, Soph. I’ma put it right in here for safe keepin’.” With care, he tucked it into the front pocket of his shirt.

Sophia looked pleased that her gift was safe in his pocket. He patted her back.

“Let’s go check on your Ma.”

***

She felt them. The pads of her fingers had grazed the puckered lines on the outskirts of his back on the occasions that her fingers explored there. It hadn’t struck Carol until now that she hadn’t seen his back. Daryl going shirtless wasn’t a foreign concept in the bedroom they’d shared for a couple weeks now, but he’d taken great care in never turning his back to her when he wasn’t covered.

He’d proceeded the same way he had every night since Sophia’s exodus from their bed. He faced her, tugged off his shirt, and crawled front first under the covers. Carol’s curiosity – and a bit of concern mixed in – was stirred up tonight.

Daryl’s hand slid across her belly to curl at her waist. “You sure you okay? After what happened with Merle?”

The incident burned a sore spot in Carol’s chest. She’d apologized to Merle again after he reemerged from taking a smoke. Merle reassured her he was fine, tossing out a joke about the discolored patch of skin along his jaw. Carol’s mouth hung open in surprise. She’d seen bruises like that before – staring back at her in the mirror. The shame of being the one to cause that crashed over her in a drowning wave. Not only was she battling her own demons inside her head, but somehow one of them had escaped and hurt someone else. As much as she needed the self-defense lessons, she wasn’t sure she could go through with it again.

“He don’t hold any hard feelings, if that’s what you’re worried about. He may be an a**hole, but he understands ‘bout those kinds’a things. Me an’ him, we saw what our Ma went through.” Daryl’s voice crept lower. “What me and Merle went through.”

Carol knew a little of Daryl’s upbringing. His father didn’t win any father of the year awards. He was a hard man and a hard drinker, from what Carol gathered. She sucked in a shaky breath as she fit the pieces together. In the back of her mind, she’d known all along. You weren’t born with scars as if they were birthmarks. They also didn’t magically appear one day to decorate your skin.

Carol also carried scars. The cigarette burns that littered her body was a testament of Ed’s choice in punishing her. The first couple of times he’d been sloppy about it. He’d yanked her toward him by the arm and drove the lit butt onto the inside of her elbow. The dark patch of raised skin left too much evidence of what went on behind their walls. After those first two burns, he’d gotten smarter and chose areas on her body where no one could view. The space between her shoulder blades was his favorite.

Carol hadn’t actively been trying to hide her scars from Daryl, but in that moment, she realized that he hadn’t seen most of hers as well. She carefully reached out to Daryl. Her hand rested on his hip and she caught his eye. She slid along the edge of his back where she’d ventured before. The pads of her fingers caught on the raised lines like they were speed bumps.

“You’ve never turned your back to me,” she stated.

Daryl snorted. “Turned my back on you plen’y a’times.”

Carol’s hand dipped lower along his back. His muscles tensed at her touch. “I meant – uncovered. I know you have scars, and—” she paused, shallowing down the lump in her throat at the apprehension that had shadowed his face. “I’m pretty sure I know where they came from.”

“Should’a known you’d be wonderin’ sooner ‘er later.”

“I won’t force you to talk about it.” Carol relieved him of her touch on his back and settled upon his chest. “But, I’m here if you ever want to or need to. It’s the least I can do after all the times you’ve listened to my stories.”

“Okay,” was his no frills reply.

Carol’s fingertips lowered from his chest to rest on the covers. “It’s okay to – to let me see them. I won’t make you, but it’s okay.” She stopped at a loss for better words to prove to him that he didn’t need to hide. There was nothing to be ashamed of. She would keep his secrets. She would never judge him for the crimes of another that were etched out upon him. Maybe there was one way— “I have scars too.”

Daryl released a slow breath. “I know.” He sought out the round, damaged spots on the inside of her elbow. Carol’s heart hammered as he uncurled her arm and leaned off his pillow to kiss the scars. “I’m sorry.”

“There are more,” Carol continued, the heaviness of the subject weighing upon her. “Mostly between my shoulder blades. A couple on the back of my thigh.”

Daryl kept his gaze turned down. “You shouldna’ had to go through that.”

Carol reached out for his bicep to give it a comforting squeeze. “And you shouldn’t have either.”

Daryl finally raised his eyes to her. Carol’s breath caught as he cupped her face and stole a kiss. A kiss that spoke a silent thank you. A kiss that spoke of understanding and shared pain.

“I love you,” he spoke upon her lips.

“I love you too,” Carol returned with all her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've sat on this chapter for weeks now. The first half of it was done alongside the last chapter. The second half was an answer to address Daryl's scars, which is something that I had planned to do but kept putting it off. I'd written somewhere in an earlier chapter about Carol having cigarette burns on her. Anyways, I'm just glad to chapter is over bc it felt like it I would never be done with it. Looking forward to moving on!


	21. Chapter 21

Carol fidgeted nervously with the hem of the medical gown. Andrea sat in the chair against the wall beside the examination table. The room was deafeningly quiet save for the swish of the paperwork Andrea was glancing over.

There’d been developments within Carol’s divorce case. Andrea wanted to nail Ed Peletier to the wall, especially after the encounter on the sidewalk in front of the pharmacy. Andrea was also determined to win Carol’s car back on top of alimony. As much as she needed the car and the money, the only thing Carol was concerned over was custody of Sophia. If the evidence of physical abuse were significant enough, Andrea was confident Carol could win full custody. Ed would have to pay child support, but Carol preferred if he’d sign off his rights to his only child that he never cared for in the first place. If medical tests could prove former sustained abuse, it would go in her favor for every request of the court that was being presented.

Carol jumped as the examination room door opened. A dark complexed man greeted her with a bright smile as he shut the door.

“Hello, Mrs. Peletier. I’m Dr. Siddiq.”

“Carol,” she quickly corrected, “please just call me Carol.”

Dr. Siddiq nodded in confirmation. He offered his hand to shake. “Yes, ma’am. Carol.” He turned his attention to Andrea, who had stood to greet him. “Ms. Harrison, is it?”

“That’s correction,” Andrea confirmed, shaking his hand as well.

“Nice to meet you both.” Both women returned the pleasantry.

Dr. Siddiq skimmed the clipboard that enclosed Carol’s information. He hummed in contemplation. “I understand you are in a delicate situation.”

Carol’s face burned. Just the thought of burdening someone else with the results of her life mistakes made her stomach lurch. It’d taken time to open up completely to Daryl about her life with Ed. He’d witnessed a taste of what she received most days of her marriage, and for some comforting reason, that had helped her feel more open to talk about it with him. Most of what Andrea knew at the start had been supplied by Daryl with Carol’s permission, but slowly, she’d been able to open up to her lawyer as well. Sharing her situation with more people, people who were strangers, would not come easy.

“So, you understand we need the most in-depth report of any indication of past trauma,” Andrea interjected, and Carol was glad the woman had volunteered to bring her for the appointment.

“I will mark every past sustained injury,” Dr. Siddiq assured. He got to work examining and poking and prodding, asking questions, calling for ex-rays. Carol felt more like she’d been abducted by an alien ship and was being put through every test known to the space visitors’ kind. She noticed the grimace cross Andrea’s face as the doctor examined and counted the cigarette burns imprinted in her skin.

A strange peace, though, began to envelope Carol the longer the examination carried on. She’d visited the doctor’s office and the ER many times when Ed had taken his aggression out on her. The medical staff at the doctor’s office and ER grew suspicious the more she filled their office. Questions were being raised. Looks of pity were being tossed her way. If Ed had ever found there was suspicion of him, no telling what horrific actions he would have dealt out on Carol for telling on him. This time -- without the fear of punishment from Ed -- she allowed herself to relax as Dr. Siddiq worked.

After the examination was complete and all the tests the doctor felt necessary were done, Carol redressed. He informed her and Andrea that the results would take one to two weeks, and his staff would contact Andrea as soon as they arrived. They both thanked Dr. Siddiq and left the office.

“I think you need a cup of coffee,” Andrea stated as they walked to her car. She nudged Carol’s arm with her elbow in a playful manner Carol wasn’t accustomed to. “How about I buy you a cup at my favorite cafe?”

Carol’s chest tightened at the offer. “You don’t have to do that. You’ve already spent far too much of your own money to help me with my case. I should buy you a cup of coffee.”

“I told you, this is why I have a fund for cases where clientele need help,” Andrea reminded her just before slipping into the driver’s seat. Carol followed suit in the passenger seat. She flicked her blue eyes over at Carol. “Besides, you’ve become a friend. Let me buy a cup of coffee for my _friend_.”

Carol wasn’t sure when this friendship with Andrea had bloomed. Andrea had known the Dixon brothers for several years, mostly through legalist reasons and Merle’s involvement with the halfway house. She’d offered her help and support to Carol in every way she could. Maybe she had empathy for Carol’s situation. Maybe she knew Carol _needed_ a friend. No matter how or when it had happened, Carol was grateful for Andrea’s friendship.

“What about Sophia?” Carol tried for one more excuse.

“She’s with Daryl. I’m sure she’s fine.”

Carol couldn’t argue with that.

Andrea drove them to a local coffee shop several minutes from the doctor’s office. The coffee shop had a homely feel to it. Andrea ordered them two medium house blends and a chosen dessert for each as a little extra treat. They chose a table by the large glass window looking out at the street corner.

“I have insight that your case will go well,” Andrea said, absently stirring her coffee as the gears in her head were probably mulling over the case’s details. “With evidence of past trauma along with the reports from both attacks, you could get everything we ask for.”

“The only thing I really want is for Sophia to never lay eyes on her father again.”

Andrea touched Carol’s shoulder. “That could be possible, Carol. Let’s wait for the medical report then if you choose to, instead of full custody, we could include in the agreement that Ed signs over his rights to Sophia. But that would mean no child support.”

“The money doesn’t matter. Ed being totally out of our lives is more important than any amount of money.”

Andrea nodded, firmly. “Then, that’s what we’ll do.” She glanced out the window as she finally sipped her coffee.

Carol tested the temperature of the coffee carefully between her lips. It was still too hot for her and popped off the lid so it could cool quicker. By the time she looked back up, Andrea’s gaze had returned to her. The blonde offered her a smile.

“How are things with you and Daryl?” Andrea inquired with a twinkle in her eye. Something must have caught in her mind and her enthusiasm wavered. “I mean, I know you have developed a relationship together.”

Carol stared at Andrea. She was at a loss for words. When she discussed her marriage with Ed to anyone, she’d plaster a smile on her face and skirt around the truth. She built up a well-scripted lie that barely got her by most of the time. If she said anything remotely negative about him to anyone they knew, somehow he would find out and show her just how treacherous he could be. There were no girlfriends to giggle with or vent upon in the world she’d lived in with Ed. He’d isolated her from everyone.

There was a woman sitting across from her. She wanted to dish about a man that treated Carol with such tenderness and respect that she wondered every day if she’d dreamed him up. She didn’t need to lie about Daryl’s treatment of her. Nothing she could say would shed a negative light on him.

“We have,” Carol finally replied. She pressed her palms to the comforting warmth of the disposable coffee cup. “Daryl is a good man. A man of honor. He’s done everything in his power to keep me and Sophia safe and taken care of.”

A memory of that morning played in Carol’s mind. Daryl next to her at the stove as he fried up bacon and as she flipped pancakes. The little turn up at the corner of his mouth when he flicked his eyes her way. The tug of her lips into a smile that she couldn’t stop from forming remained. To say she was happy was a total understatement. “He makes me feel special.” She hesitated as her throat tightened just a little. “No one has ever made me feel that way before.”

Andrea appeared as if she held a secret between the two of them. “Merle has always claimed his little brother was the sweet one.”

Carol laughed to herself. “I can attest to that.”

“Let me ask you one thing, Carol,” Andrea’s tone shifted very slightly to serious. “Are you in a relationship with Daryl because he got you away from Ed and is one of the few people in your orbit right now?”

The question didn’t surprise Carol. Daryl had saved her and Sophia, provided shelter and other necessities – both physical and emotional -- and had been the only person in a very long time to show her kindness. She owed him more than she could ever repay him, so of course, Andrea might assume she was in a relationship with him due to that.

“Daryl and I have actually talked about this. He was concerned about the exact same thing. I told him that even way back when we first met at the diner, I was drawn to him. He kept coming back, always sitting at one of my tables.” Carol ducked her head as a blush accompanied with a pleased little smile crossed her lips. In her mind’s eyes, she could see Daryl at the table and how he’d straighten up and offer her an enthusiastic greeting that sometimes made his face red because he knew he was trying too hard. Carol thought him being flustered was the cutest thing. “He confessed, too, that he was interested in me at the diner from the very beginning. I guess, we both harbored crushes on each other.”

“He didn’t know you were married?”

Carol shook her head. “No. Not until the last couple of visits he made to the diner. At the diner, I wanted to forget, for just a little while, that my life with Ed existed. I was constantly worried about Sophia being home with him, but the diner was the first place I could breathe. I’d slip my wedding ring into my pocket and never mention Ed or my home life.”

Andrea nodded in understanding. “I’m glad you found an escape at the diner, and I’m glad you found Daryl.”

Warmth curled in Carol’s chest, and it wasn’t from the coffee she’d just sipped. “Me too.” While they were on the subject, Carol was drawn to continue. “Me and Daryl – we hadn’t—” her cheeks burned at the confession, “we haven’t been _together_ yet.”

Andrea seemed to pick up on her chagrin. “That’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

The tension in Carol’s shoulders eased a little. “A few weeks ago, I picked up a prescription for birth control I had leftover from being with Ed.” She averted her eyes to the half drank coffee and swirled it a little to mix the separated creamer – mostly to distract herself from memories of her past life. “But, that was the day Ed found us on the street and ever since then it’s like me and Daryl have suddenly turned shy about going any further than kissing and holding each other.”

“Trauma will do that. It goes either way. It either pushes further or it causes you to hesitate. It’s a natural reaction, Carol. You want to be with Daryl like that, right?”

“Yes.” Carol’s face warmed at how fast she answered. There was no doubt in her heart that she wanted to share the most sacred parts of herself – heart and body -- with Daryl. To give him access to her body completely; to bestow that trust in him.

Andrea leaned forward on her elbow in contemplation. A beat passed before she spoke. “Don’t allow what happened with Ed on the street to fizzle out your flame being with Daryl. I think both of you have a lot to work through. You were with a man who was supposed to love you but turned into a nightmare. And, from what I gather about Daryl, he’s never been in a relationship before. Both of you should take your time and get to know each other intimately before jumping into sex.”

Carol’s body froze at the last word. In her mind, sex was something Ed enforced on her. The closeness, the intimacy, the love that drove two people into each other’s arms was lost to whatever physicality her and Ed performed together. She didn’t want to have sex with Daryl. She wanted something far more sacred. Andrea didn’t know her stand on that, and Carol didn’t have the emotional energy to explain. 

“Go slow. Explore each other’s bodies. Become familiar, comfortable with each other. Let the rest come naturally.”

“Thank you, Andrea” Carol said, quietly.

Andrea shallowed a sip of coffee. Her eyes sparkled in a sincere light. “For what?”

Carol’s hand moved but hesitated as her brain caught up with the action. She quickly threw all caution and cupped a hand over Andrea’s wrist. “For coffee and listening to me and being a friend.”

Andrea brought her other hand to lay atop Carol’s and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “Anytime, Carol.”


	22. Part 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't think this chapter would ever end. It turned out so long! That's okay. I think I'm back on track and feeling good again about where this story is headed :)

This was probably the highest form of trust Carol had given him to date. She’d been ferried away by Andrea to a doctor to have a thorough exam that could help in her divorce case. She’d left Sophia in his care.

It wasn’t the first time – not by a longshot – that he’d watched Sophia alone, but Carol was always somewhere close by. This time, though, she was on the other side of town and not within shouting distance of them. Daryl had total responsibility over this 5-year old little girl who stared at him with wide blue eyes that uncannily resembled her Mama’s.

The first thing Sophia wanted to do was visit the park. Their town boasted a nice little park with a fishing pond, walking trail, and playground. Him and Carol had brought Sophia there a couple of times. Sophia loved to feed the ducks and be swung on the swing set. She zeroed in on the swing set as soon as her shoes hit the dirt, tugging Daryl’s hand with strength he didn’t realize a 5-year old girl could muster.

As Sophia glided back and forth to her heart’s delight as Daryl pushed her, he peered around at the other folks using the park. He’d never set foot in the public park prior to Sophia. If he’d even ventured close to the park’s perimeter without a child as an excuse, he’d probably be viewed upon with suspicion and parents would have rightly steered their children clear of him. But, now, here he was right along with those other parents and yet he felt so out of place his skin crawled. Watching Sophia get delight from the simple act of being swung on the swing set tossed his discomforts. To hell with them.

After a good 20 minutes of swinging, Sophia voiced her need to move on. Daryl caught the chains and walked her to a stop. She hopped off with an undeniable amount of enthusiasm and grabbed his hand again.

“C’mon, Daryl! Let’s go see the ducks!”

“Daryl?” he questioned in mock shock. “What happened to Daddy?”

Sophia’s scampering steps suddenly haltled. She blinked up at Daryl, her enthusiasm wiped away. “I’m sorry. Daddy.”

Immediately, Daryl knew he’d messed up. He was only teasing, but Sophia couldn’t decipher that. Not yet, at least. He caught the way she shrunk into herself. He bent down to one knee in front of her, gently cupping her little shoulders.

“Soph, I was kidding. If you wanna call me Daryl, that’s okay. If you wanna call me Daddy, that’s okay. Either way, I know you’re talkin’ to me.”

Sophia bravely met his eyes, the worry behind them evident.

“I won’t ever – _ever_ – hurt you for any mistake you make. I’m not _him_ and you know that, okay? We good?”

Sophia gave a little nod to confirm.

“C’mere.” Slowly and with great care, Daryl pulled her to him in a hug. Daryl finally breathed when Sophia hugged him back. When she rubbed her face on his shoulder, Daryl knew she was okay. He pulled away. “Let’s go see them ducks.”

Sophia’s mood quickly shifted back to it’s rightfully place. The antics of the ducks bobbing under the water with their bottoms sticking out coaxed giggled out of her. A mother duck guided her large brood of ducklings to a tall, grassy patch that housed a nest, and Sophia asked if they could peek in the grass to see them. Daryl obliged, cautioning Sophia to say be very quiet like when they were hunting in the woods. She did as she was told, only releasing a gasp when she first laid eyes on the mother duck with her babies nestled under her wings.

The sun crept higher in the sky and Daryl decided it was time to leave before Sophia wore herself slap out. He wanted to give Sophia a surprise before heading back to the trailer. When they pulled up to the ice cream shop, Sophia was practically bouncing in her booster seat.

Daryl laughed to himself. Sophia’s reserved nature had slowly begun to wear away as she learned that she didn’t need to remain quiet and hidden out of fear of consequences. She could just be a kid who was excited about getting ice cream. She unbuckled herself and crawled out on the driver’s side of the truck. Daryl hoisted her under the arms and set her down on the concrete. Her little hand held his as they stepped into the building.

This was Sophia very first trip in the ice cream shop and she couldn’t ask fast enough which flavors were which. Daryl held her on his hip as he read the tags that labeled the ice cream behind the glass. After a minute of hopping back and forth between Cookies ‘n’ Cream and French Vanilla, Sophia chose the former for the important fact that it had _cookies_ in the name – so it must be good. Daryl chose the French Vanilla. Both ordered scoops in a cone. They sat down at one of the small tables.

Sophia dove right in, taking dramatic licks that nearly sent the scoop tumbing off like a milky boulder. As Daryl worked on his scoop, he tried to think back to the last time he ate ice cream from a shop like this. He couldn’t recall a time anywhere close to the present. If he did buy a cold treat, it was from a hole-in-the-wall soft serve joint. Maybe next time, he’d take Sophia and Carol to get soft serve.

Daryl laughed to himself at the ice cream Sophia sported on her nose. “So good you stickin’ your whole face in it,” he remarked, grabbing a white napkin and mopping the wayward Cookies ‘n’ Cream off Sophia’s face.

“Soph, I got somethin’ to ask you,” Daryl said after another quiet moment. Sophia turned her blue eyes on him. “Now, you can’t say anyth’ng to your Ma about this. Got it?”

She nodded. “Got it, daddy,” she replied around a mouthful of ice cream.

“I know it hasn’t been long since you and your Ma come to live with me, but I wanna marry your Ma.” When Sophia tilted her head in what Daryl guessed was puzzlement, he added, “To make ‘er my wife, like she was with your father.” Any mention of Ed, even if it was by another name, left a bitter taste in Daryl’s mouth. “But I’ll do right by your Mama. Love her and love you. Treat you and her right. Just like I been doin’.”

“Will you marry me too?”

The question caught Daryl off guard, and he could help laugh to himself. “Somethin’ like that. I’ll be even closer to being your daddy.”

“I want that.” Sophia’s confirmation made Daryl’s chest swell. He rustled the top of Sophia’s head, igniting a giggle from the little girl.

After they whittled their ice cream cone to nothing, Daryl cleaned Sophia up one more time and then headed out. Carol was probably at home or close to it. Daryl glanced over at Sophia as he drove. Her head lay back against the booster seat headrest and her half-lidded eyes stared out the window. The excitement of the day was wearing her out.

She did well with him. Daryl dared his heart to swell just a tiny bit at recalling how far he’d come with Sophia. She started out shying away from him, sticking close to her Mama. Daryl had no idea what her voice sounded like for the first couple of weeks she’d lived in the trailer. Slowly and with great care and thoughtfulness, he’d earned her trust. She broke cracks from inside her shell here and there for him to see in. Once that first big piece of the shell broke off, she’d taken to him like white on rice. Daryl almost claimed whiplash at how she’d flipped to the other side like a coin. But, he wasn’t complaining. Not in the least. Seeing Sophia happy made him happy.

Daryl was surprised with himself. With giving up any chance of ever finding a decent woman, he’d also surrendered the idea of ever being a father. Without a woman, he couldn’t have a child. Both ideas died together. He doubted himself that he’d ever make a good Daddy anyway and figured it was probably for a reason. His own old man was the worst example of father material. If he never had a good role model, how was he even going to navigate fatherhood without completely screwing up?

The strangest thing was, as soon as he saw Sophia, it was like he knew exactly what to do. He saw his child-self’s needs in her. He remembered all that he ever wanted in a Daddy. Trips to the park. Ice cream shop visits. Picking out Oreos at the store. Cuddling in front of the tv. Taking walks in the woods. It was all simple things, really, but it would have meant the world to Daryl as a kid and that’s how he knew how to provide for Sophia.

The responsibility didn’t scare him either. That was probably the most surprising of all to Daryl. He’d taken care of himself just fine. He didn’t need much and that’s how he lived. There were times over the years when he had to be responsible for his brother. Merle sunk so low at times, and Daryl did what he could for his drunken or high brother.

Sophia was nowhere near as complicated. She had a runny nose. He helped her blow it. She was hungry. He’d rustle up something to eat. She said thank you for what he did for her, and she rewarded him with bright smiles and squeezy hugs around the neck.

As they pulled up to the trailer, Sophia unbuckled herself and waited for Daryl to get out before crawling over the driver’s side to him. The front door was locked, which wasn’t unusual for Carol to do if she were home by herself. Daryl unlocked the door and called out. No answer. Sophia ran the length of the trailer not finding her Mama. Daryl concluded Carol just wasn’t home yet. She was with Andrea and he knew Andrea would keep her safe.

Sophia looked disappointed to not find her Mama there. Daryl distracted her with the tv. They settled down on the couch and watched cartoons. Sophia crawled onto Daryl lap, leaning her side against his front. He cradled her, holding her securely against him. She’d never received this kind of affection from her own father. Daryl doubted Ed so much as hugged his own daughter once in her short life let alone snuggle with her. Daryl may have been a wildman who sported calloused hands and a scarred body and wielded a crossbow, but he also knew the meaning of gentle.

Footfalls climbed the stairs outside about thirty minutes later. Sophia’s head popped up off Daryl’s shoulder. The door opened revealing Carol. She peered around finding them cuddled on the couch.

“Mommy!” Sophia bounded from Daryl and nearly knocked Carol over.

Carol caught her and gathered her up in her arms. She pressed a kiss to Sophia’s crown. “Hi baby! I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Sophia reverberated. She pulled away just enough to see Carol’s face. “Me and Daddy had so much fun! We went to the park and I got to swing almost to the sky! We got ice cream and I got cookie ice cream!”

Daryl laughed to himself as he pushed off the couch, his body a little stiff from his stationary position. “Cookies ‘n’ Cream, Soph.”

“Cookies and cream.” Sophia dramatically emphasized each word.

Carol smiled fondly at her daughter then switched her gaze to Daryl looking slightly concerned. “She wasn’t any trouble?”

Daryl blew off her concern with a scoff. “She may have boundless energy, but she ain’t no trouble.” He offered her a sincere smile to assure her that he enjoyed his and Sophia alone time.

“So, this is where you and Merle have lived?” another voice entered the front door.

“For a couple years, yeah” Daryl answered as Andrea made her way in.

Her bright blue eyes peered around taking in the humble dwelling. There wasn’t much to see besides the few pieces of furniture and the dingy walls, but a second hand throw on the back of the couch and a tall glass cup holding wildflowers added a little life to the place – thanks to Carol.

“How’d it go?” Daryl asked generally to both women.

“Doctor put me through a number of tests and took x-rays,” Carol replied, letting down Sophia. The little girl ran back to the couch not wanting to miss more of her cartoons.

“Is that why it took so long?”

“I treated Carol to coffee afterwards.” Andrea smiled, her eyes sparkling, “And we had a nice time. Nice talk.”

Daryl nodded absently. He wasn’t sure if they got coffee as friends or lawyer and client, but with the way things were going, he hoped Andrea would become the friend that Carol needed.

“When will you know anything from the doctor?”

“A couple weeks,” Andrea said, “maybe less than that. Once we have the report, we can proceed to finalizing our request for the divorce agreement and Carol can finally be rid of—” Andrea seemed to catch herself, eyes flicking over at Sophia who was glued to the tv, “you-know-who.”

Carol’s gaze met his and her words spoke more than what she simply said, “Me and Sophia can finally move on.”

“I need to get back to the office.” Andrea turned to Carol, reaching out to grasp her hand. “Carol, I had a lovely time having coffee with you. We should do it again.”

Carol looked genuinely surprised. “I’d like that very much.”

“Daryl, will you walk me to my car?”

“Yeah.” He followed Andrea out the door and down the stairs of the porch to her car. “What’cha want, Andrea? Something ‘bout Merle?”

Andrea pivoted sharply with intent in her eyes. She tilted her head slightly. “What are your intentions with Carol?”

Daryl’s brow knitted together. “Who’re you? Her Mama?”

Andrea sighed as if the world was on her shoulders. “Someone looking out for her.” She gestured toward the front door as if Carol was standing right there. “Carol is a strong woman. She couldn’t have survived Ed’s brutality without that strength. But, she’s also delicate and I don’t want her to be shattered by having the first good thing outside of her nightmare of a marriage to be ripped away from her.” She took a step toward him with such purpose, Daryl caught a flash of the lawyer inside her. “Tell me this isn’t just a trial deal before you get in too deep and move on.”

Andrea’s words struck Daryl square in the chest. No one had questioned his intentions with Carol – not even Carol herself. She’d accepted his help, accepted his affections. He didn’t think he had to prove anything more to her, that his actions starting from the very beginning were proof enough for her.

When he didn’t answer quick enough, Andrea added, “Look, I know you care about Carol--”

“I love Carol.” Every bit of confirmation reigned in his voice. He narrowed at his at her, almost challenging Andrea. “And I love Sophia. They’re my family now. I want Carol to be my wife. I want Sophia to be my daughter.”

Andrea visibly relaxed as if the fight settled within her. She nodded her head. “Okay. I believe you.”

Daryl’s chest tightened. “There ain’t nothing I wouldn’t do for them.”

“Then Carol and Sophia are lucky to have you.”

Their discussion clipped off, resolved. While they were on the subject of relationships, Daryl thought it was only fair he asked a question of his own.

“Let me ask you somethin’, what’re your intentions with my brother?”

Andrea stared him directly in the eyes before a broad smile curved her lips. She chuckled softly to herself. “If you’re wondering if I’ll drop his a*s like a hot bag of cr*ap if he ever slides back—”

“Has he showed any signs’a that?”

“No. Whatever Merle experienced on his last disappearing act has really changed him. Well, not particularly his a**hole personality. He’s still going strong with that. But, the addictions. I can tell when he’s having a bad day with the cravings. He smokes like its his life support. He’s incredibly clingy. I try to help him, especially on his bad days. He wants to do right by me, and I’m going to hold him to that.”

“Good. He needs that. A firm hand. He needs that ultimatum of losin’ you if he ever slides back into his ole’ ways. It’s good he has you.”

“Maybe one day when I know for sure that he’s going to stay the course—who knows? Maybe we’ll all be kin.”

Daryl laughed, tapping Andrea on the arm. “Yeah, that’d be good too.”


	23. Part 23

“Stop before you rub holes in your skin.”

Carol’s head snapped to where Daryl sat in the driver’s side of the truck. He nodded his chin to her lap where her hands lay in a constant state of wringing. She stilled her hands, noticing now how sore they were from the unconscious habit.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“Hey, Soph’ll be fine. She’s not supposed to be released to anyone but you.”

“I know.”

The reassurance didn’t dislodge the weight that had settled in her stomach. They’d dropped Sophia off for her first day of kindergarten. Carol didn’t like the idea of just handing her daughter off in the drive-thru line. She’d never handed Sophia over to a stranger. The kindergarten teacher working the drive-thru tried to soothe her worry as she helped Sophia out of the truck’s cab. Sophia sensed her mother’s anxiety. She whimpered and grasped Carol’s hand as the teacher took her. Daryl finally swooped in, leaning across the truck cab and spoke to Sophia in the gentlest tone. Carol couldn’t remember what he’d said, but whatever it was helped Sophia to let go. After they drove off, Carol’s hands began to wring together in the nervous habit she’d had since she was a teenager.

“Sophia listens to you,” Carol said, thinking back to the drop off. “You don’t even have to raise your voice and she’ll mind whatever you say.”

“It don’t always have to take force for someone else to mind. I hated when my old man used force behind his words when it wasn’t necessary. It just made me angrier and not wanna listen. A’course, he’d accompany his words with a beatin’.”

Carol shivered at the very thought of the boy Daryl used to be standing in front of his father as his father dealt out punishment -- the scars on his back a testament to his past.

“Ed was loud. Boisterous. Just the sound of his voice scared Sophia to the point of tears sometimes.”

The leather of the steering wheel creaked under Daryl’s grip. “She ain’t ever gotta hear his voice again.”

“How can you be sure? The court may grant visitation. He may try for visitations just to get back at me.”

“With the record of his abuse, ain’t no way the court will allow that and if it does, then to hell with the legal system. Ed seems too damn lazy to go through any kinda theory ‘er whatever to win any rights to Soph.”

Carol nodded, glumly. “I hope so.”

Their conversation trickled out, the heaviness of the unknown hanging in the air. Carol tried to think about something else – anything that didn’t involve worrying about her daughter. Ever since the coffee outing with Andrea, an idea had been on her mind. She’d mulled over whether it was an idea Daryl would be willing to go along with. Now was as good as any to bring it up. She glimpsed over at Daryl. His eyes were straight forward watching the road as he tapped his thumbnail to his bottom lip.

“I was thinking—”

“Yeah?” he asked, looking as if he’d been dragged from a deep thought.

“Maybe we could have Andrea and Merle over for dinner one evening. Just a little way to show my appreciation for everything Andrea is doing for me.”

Carol swallowed around the lump that had formed in her throat. The only people Ed ever allowed over were drinking buddies. They’d play poker or sit around and drink. They expected Carol to wait on them hand and foot, constantly bringing them new bottles of beer and homemade snacks. One of Ed’s so-called buddies had gotten handsie one evening after too many beers and pinched her on a** every time she walked by him. She spent the rest of the evening after the men left enduring Ed’s punishment for what he assumed was her cheating on him. Nothing she told him could convince him that she was faithful and his so-called buddy was a chauvinist pig.

Carol held her breath as she waited for Daryl’s reaction. She hated that her entire being involuntarily seized up awaiting his reaction. Daryl was not Ed and she had to train her body – and sometimes her mind – to remember that.

“Yeah, I don’t see why not.”

A relieved smile broke free on Carol’s face. She finally breathed. “What about Friday evening?”

“Any day you pick, I’m good with that,” Daryl answered, glancing at her for a second. His expression was reassuring.

Carol reached across the cab suddenly in need of simply touching this man who was almost too good to be true. She caressed the muscle of his arm. He glanced at her again wearing a slight curve on his lip and reached out to pat her thigh affectionately.

***

Sophia chattered non-stop about her first day of kindergarten. As Carol cooked dinner while Daryl took a shower to wash off the mechanic’s grime, Sophia recalled every detail – not in any particular order – of her day. She’d learned about the letter I, which was a vowel – though she’d pronounced it more as a B to which Carol had to bite back a giggle. She also learned how to write the letter I both capital and lowercase and proudly showed off her worksheet that she shoved in Carol’s face – a habit she tended to do when she was overly enthusiastic about something. Carol gave her praise for doing such a good job.

Carol was amazed at the difference in her daughter. Sophia barely talked when Ed was in the house, no matter if he were in the room or all the way across the house. She talked more when Ed was away but kept her voice low. When she did get a little excited – big grin and bright eyes – Sophia would check herself as if an alarm went off inside her and she switched back to being a quiet child.

Every habit, every behavior her daughter had used was all due to Ed. Carol witnessed the freedom Sophia had gained away from him. She never wanted Sophia to lose that freedom. She’d do anything in her power for Sophia to keep it.

“Daryl says he’s gonna marry us.”

Carol’s hand froze in mid-stir of the spaghetti sauce. Her mind had wandered after Sophia began to repeat happenings of her day. She pivoted to face her daughter. “What did you say, Sophia?”

“Daryl says he’s gonna marry us,” Sophia repeated. “He told me when we ate ice cream.”

Carol flicked off the burner and made her way over to where Sophia sat at the kitchen table. She knelt in front of Sophia. “Daryl wants to marry us?”

“Well,” Sophia pondered over her words, “he wants to marry you, Mama. He says he’ll be even closer to being my daddy when he does!”

“Did he say he had a ring to give me?”

Sophia shook her head.

“Did he say anything else?” Carol prompted as her heart raced.

“No.” Sophia’s happy little face began to fall. “Are you upset, Mama? You don’t wanna marry Daryl?”

Carol’s features softened. She hadn’t realized how tense her face felt until Sophia voiced her concern. “Oh, sweetheart. I’m not mad. It’s just that you surprised me. I don’t know what will happen or where we’ll be living anytime soon.”

Sophia’s eyes blown wide as tears began to well up. “I wanna stay with Daryl. I don’t wanna go back to-to,” she stuttered as if her tongue refused to call Ed her daddy, but she didn’t know what else to call him.

Carol quickly caressed Sophia’s cheek, tenderly stroking her thumb across it to soothe her. “You’re not. _We’re_ not. We’re staying with Daryl. I love him and he loves me. Maybe one day we’ll get married, but me and Daryl have to talk about that together.”

It was a subject that was well overdue, Carol knew. They were headed toward that conversation, but then the encounter with Ed had thrown it all out of the loop. It’d been hidden inside a drawer in both their minds, and it seemed they were afraid to open that drawer and lay it out. Andrea was right in more ways than one. They couldn’t allow Ed to stop them from the intimacy they desired to share – both physically and emotionally.

“Hey. Everything okay?”

Carol winced at Daryl voice. He emerged before she could dry Sophia’s tears. Sophia jumped to her feet and crashed into Daryl’s legs. Daryl’s gaze found Carol, bewildered and questioning at how the bubbly little girl was reduced to crying into his sweatpants. He picked her up under the arms and she wrapped herself around him. She rubbed her wet face on his shoulder murmuring ‘daddy’ over and over.

“What’s going on?”

Carol tried to muster a watery smile. “She’s okay. The table needs set before dinner gets cold.” She peered at him, her eyes speaking where her words could not. “We’ll talk later.”

Daryl caught the hint and nodded. He bounced Sophia, trying to coax her to raise her head. “Hey, Soph. Set the table with me.”


	24. Part 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW warning!! So glad to finally make it to this point in this story!

Daryl had gotten Sophia calmed, reassuring her it would be okay even though he wasn’t sure if that was the truth or not. Carol kept it all inside, true to her word that they would talk later. Obviously, whatever it was, it was not something for little ears to hear.

They ate supper at the table as they usually did. Sophia had perked up a little, but for the most part kept quiet like she used to in the first several weeks when they’d arrived. The little girl’s reserved return worried Daryl and his stomach churned instead of enjoying the nice meal of spaghetti Carol had prepared.

Their evening routine remained the same. A bath for Sophia then a little tv watching with her cuddled between them before it was bedtime. Once goodnights and sweet dreams were given, Daryl headed straight to the front porch to smoke. His nerves were on edge and he needed something to calm him before Carol let loose whatever she had to say.

Daryl was working on his second cigarette when Carol slipped quietly out the trailer wrapped in a light sweater. Even though it was still technically summer, the air had begun to chill just slightly toward the approaching fall season.

“You leavin’ me?” Daryl asked before she could speak, “Is that why Sophia was upset?”

“No. I’m not leaving you, Daryl,” she confirmed without hesitation, “but we need to talk.”

Daryl’s entire being tensed up at Carol’s choice of words. Words strung together in that way were never a good sign. He inhaled a lengthy drag of his cigarette. “Go ‘head.”

Carol pursed her lips together. Her eyes averted to the boards of the porch’s deck, seeming to collect her thoughts. She finally looked at him.

“You and Sophia have a bond that a little girl _should_ have with her father. It’s real. It’s natural. There’s no doubt in my mind how much you love her. She loves you just as much, and I don’t want to discourage that.”

Daryl kept his head bowed, but his eyes upon her. His insides rolled around uncomfortably. Carol’s arms wrapped over her chest like a shield, hands visibly trembling. Daryl knew confronting him was probably one of the most difficult tasks for her. Confrontation in her conditioned mind meant repercussion. Punishment. But she trusted him to be able to confront him with this, even if it seemed to frighten her to the core.

“But, Daryl, there are some things you need to talk to me about first before telling Sophia. Marrying me? That’s one of them. A _big_ one. A very important one that we need to discuss.”

“I jumped the gun,” he admitted. He scratched the side of his face as a nervous twitch. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Carol’s voice was barely a whisper.

“We shoulda talked first. Been needing to for a while now.”

“I know. Now is a better time than any. Let’s talk.”

Daryl nodded. A beat of quiet passed. “Do you love me, Carol?”

She almost appeared hurt by the question. “Daryl, you know I do.”

Daryl breathed in deep. He snuffed out his cigarette in the pot of sand. His gaze was sincere. “Do you want to marry me?”

Carol’s breath caught as her heart hammered in her chest. The idea wasn’t brand new to her. It’d danced around in her head, popping in at every heartwarming moment they shared as a newfound family or quiet moment her and Daryl spent together. This was the family she’d longed to have when she’d just begun her relationship with Ed. That dream was laid to waste along with her hope of ever being truly happy.

She’d found happiness in this humble little trailer. She’d found happiness watching her daughter thrive and light up the room with her smile every day. She’d found happiness with this quiet man, his gentle touch and his unwavering devotion. This may have been the hardest and easiest question she ever answered in her life. How could she turn him down?

Carol swallowed around the lump in her throat. She held his gaze. “Yes.”

Daryl stepped up to her and grasped her hand in his. “Then, marry me.”

Carol’s heart nearly bruised her chest. She could barely find her voice. “It’s not that simple.”

“Yeah, it is, Carol.” A hint of thickness coated Daryl’s tone. “As soon as you get that divorce, we can get married. We can get us a house with some land, maybe. Raise a family. If that bastard signs over his rights, I wanna adopt Sophia. Be her daddy legally if that’s what you choose. You and Soph are my family and I want you t’be my family in every way.” He shrugged a shoulder casually, but there was nothing casual about the way his chin wobbled or the dampness gathering in his eyes. “Simple as that.”

He feared losing her and Sophia. He feared Carol would change her mind about him. That she’d rather be free of any bonds to anyone but her daughter. If she did choose that path, he would let her go. He would never hold onto her in such a way that it would oppress her. He wasn’t Ed Peletier and he’d never be Ed Peletier.

Every ounce of emotion surged up within Carol and threatened to burst forth from her. She lunged at Daryl, hauling him to her in a tight embrace. He wrapped his strong arms around her. Carol’s chest heaved and she pulled away after a lingering moment. She held the back of Daryl’s head, her fingers woven in his hair. He pressed his forehead to her shoulder. Carol planted a tender kiss to the crown of his head.

“I need you,” she uttered.

The affirmation in her voice was all he needed. Daryl found her hand and led her back into the trailer. With the door shut and locked – and to Carol’s surprise – he scooped her up in his arms and carried her bridal style to their bedroom. He gently set her upon the bed then moved to shut the bedroom door and flick on the light.

As Daryl turned, he froze in front of the door. Carol stood up. Her sweater, blouse, and bra had magically disappeared from her body. Her elevated breathing drove the rise and fall of her bare breasts. Her cheeks were stained a pretty pink. Daryl gaped, his eyes drifting downward to the newly revealed territory of Carol’s body. He’d touched her there, but never had his eyes gazed upon her naked form. His eyes rose back up to Carol’s face. Her eyes never left his as she shimmied out of her jeans and underwear. She touched her shoulder, self-consciousness beginning to make her squirm. 

“I’ve never been completely naked in front of a man except for—”

“Don’t,” Daryl cut her off before she could say the name that was like acid on his tongue. “Not here. Not now.”

Carol bowed her head, ashamed of her slip up. Daryl approached her and with much care, lifted her chin.

“It’s okay,” he reassured, not wishing for anything to ruin this moment that they had anticipated for so long. “I want this to be us. _Only_ us.”

Carol’s eyes brightened. The knots in her stomach eased. She leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Daryl slid a hand behind her neck, pressing further into the kiss. Carol’s hands crept down to the hem of his t-shirt. Daryl shivered as her fingers grazed his waist, the t-shirt slowly, torturously rising up his torso. He broke the kiss to assist in removing the pesky article of clothing. It was banished to the floor, along with Carol’s clothes, and soon Daryl’s sweatpants and boxers followed.

There they were -- completely exposed for the first time in each other’s presence. They stood at arm’s length from one another, drinking in the sight of their naked forms. Both their experiences with nudity before another set of eyes was extremely limited. Daryl had casted glances at the women Merle brought home in his younger days. The women had no shame in flouncing around with barely anything on and trying to coerce Daryl into joining in. He wanted no part in that. Carol didn’t have much to go on with Ed. He’d had a fairly nice body in his younger days, but the pounds had packed on and Ed wasn’t much to gawk at after a few years of marriage. Besides, any desire for him Carol had had – what little was left at that time -- screeched to a dead stop when the abuse intensified.

Daryl’s body moved on its own accord and he captured Carol’s lips with his in a kiss that poured out the love he held for her. Her arms snaked around his neck as his hands found her hips, drawing her flush against him.

Carol pulled back, the corners of her mouth quirked up at the touch of his erection against her inner thighs. He undoubtly desired her. She’d stirred him to this point and that thought coursed through her causing her whole body to tingle.

Daryl seized this opportunity to pepper kisses down the column of her neck. His hands roamed over the curve of her a** and squeezed. Carol shifted forward at his grip on her a** and his erection pushed between her legs, brushing against her outer folds. A moan escaped from deep in her throat, the wonderful ache between her legs making her squirm.

Daryl hissed at the friction that sent sparks flying all through him. He paused his ministrations along Carol’s neck and screwed his eyes shut as stars rocketed behind his eyelids. The sensation nearly did him in as Carol continued to rock along his length, her own little noises of pleasure coaxing him along.

His hands found her hips once more, gripped gently to stop her back and forward motion. “If you keep going, we won’t be able to finish what we started,” he breathed against her ear.

Carol pulled away enough to look at him. Her eyes held a delicious desire he’d never seen in them before. “Sorry. I got carried away. It feels so—”

Daryl nodded in understanding as she cut off.

He scooped her up into his arms once more, relishing in the fact that he could do such an act with the woman he loved. He walked the short distance around to the bedside and set her upon the bed. Daryl paused, drinking in the sight of her as she gazed up at him. She was beautiful in every possible way he could imagine. This was what he’d waited for; what he thought was lost to him for so many years. All those times he could have easily taken another woman, but no other woman would have held a flame to Carol.

Daryl’s heart nearly leapt from of his chest when Carol grasped his hand to ferry him down on her. He straddled her hips and sought her lips. Her hands dove into his hair and crept down his back, treading every scar in her path. The past pain of the scars were soothed by her loving touch.

He broke their heated kiss. Carol chased him as far as she could, leaving sweet little pecks on his lips before laying back on the pillow. The smile that graced her lips warmed every part of Daryl’s being.

He peered down at her, eyes drifting to her slightly swollen lips where he had tried to kiss her into oblivion. This love; this ocean’s deep connection to someone else’s soul truly was real. There’d been many years where the bitterness of Carol’s situation had stolen that concept from her. She deeply loved her daughter, but for this love to be reflected toward a man seemed a pipe dream.

Daryl was asking her a silence question. She raised her hips becoming flush with his as her answer. He shifted, aligning them. He tried as best he could to be gentle as he slid into her. She was wet with desire and tight around his dick. He saw stars just from sliding in. He concentrated on the trigger getting pulled prematurely. He wanted to give Carol the amazing experience she deserved – to make up for whatever monstrosities Ed had performed upon her.

His nether reigns ached to move, to drive as far as he could into her. Daryl chanced a rock back and forth, and he just about came undone when Carol met him halfway. The delicious noises escaping her floated around in the sweet haze that was Daryl’s mind.

There was no holding out any longer. A wave crashed completely over him as Daryl seized up, spilling inside of Carol. He hissed, pressing his forehead to her shoulder. Carol held his head there as she thrusted against him a few more times before he was spent.

Daryl fell to the side of her, the messiness of his seed spattered on Carol’s thighs. His bones were jelly and his head heavy. He barely registered Carol using the bedsheet to wipe herself. He flinched involuntarily as she moved to clean him up.

“We need to change the sheets,” she commented, tossing the soiled material to the end of the bed.

“M’sorry,” Daryl murmured, bangs hanging in his eyes.

Carol’s brow creased and she chuckled to herself. “For what? The sheets?”

Daryl shook his head that was still pressed against the pillow. “I didn’t last. I didn’t satisfy you like you deserved.”

Carol’s heart ached at the disappointment in his voice. She touched his cheek. She huffed out a breathy laugh. “Daryl, you satisfied me more than I ever have been in my life. Not just now, but every single day. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Daryl reiterated, his bangs still hiding his face.

Carol reached fingertips to brush the hair away, her heart filled with such love for this quiet, wild man. They’d both carried their share of pain, of happenings in the past that had scarred their hearts. Carol knew what it was to feel worthless, to be told you wouldn’t amount to anything. He needed her reassurance of worth from whatever it was bringing him down, just as much as she needed his reassurance.

Carol intently pushed on his shoulder, and Daryl obediently rolled onto his back at her silent request. She planted a linger kiss to his lips then pulled away with a smile. “The more we do this, the longer you’ll last.” She quirked an eyebrow, tickling his chest playfully with her feathery touch. “I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to more.”

Daryl’s somberness melted away as his smile beamed up at her. “An army of zombies couldn’t keep me from you.”


	25. Part 25

The final stages of the divorce settlement were in process. Andrea stopped by the mechanic shop to fill Carol in on the details. Ed, out of revenge or spite or just plain meanness, had sold Carol’s car. It didn’t surprise Carol in the least. The car was in his name, like every possession they’d ever owned – Ed made sure to stamp his name in big red letters all over it. He’d remind Carol almost daily of all the sacrifice he made for her and their little useless brat to buy them even the most basic of needs like food and clothing. It was Ed’s world and they only existed in it.

Andrea assured Carol that Ed’s lawyer agreed to in the divorce settlement that the money for the car would go to her, along with money for pain and suffering that the medical tests and police statements confirmed. It wasn’t a hard chunk of money by any means, but it was a nice little nest egg for Carol to sit on until her life was finally rid of her abuser.

The only agreement that was currently being ironed out was child custody. Andrea said it was leaning in Carol’s favor that Ed would sign over his rights. He’d showed absolutely no interest in even taking visitation for his own child. He’d sat back in his chair, arms crossed over chest wearing a scowl that could curdle fresh milk. There was no love, any spark of emotion that showed he cared for his only child. It seemed he wouldn’t want to be bothered to pay child support for her either.

Carol’s fear that Ed wouldn’t agree to sign over his rights had worried her nearly to anxiety attacks. The only reason he wouldn’t give up his daughter would be to enact some plan of revenge on Carol. She wouldn’t breathed again until she had proof of Ed Peletier’s name on the child custody papers.

There was one part of the divorce settlement that could roll into action and that was Carol being allowed to retrieve her belongings from her former prison. When she’d left for the diner that evening so many months ago, Carol never in a million ions would have believed she wouldn’t return to the house of horrors she called home. She’d left everything – what little she owned -- behind.

What Carol wanted – probably the most precious possession she had – was Sophia’s baby book. She’d kept records of every moment, every milestone, no matter how major or miniscule, of Sophia’s growth. Along with the recordings were journal entries, the few photographs she’d managed to capture and print, a lock of Sophia’s baby hair. Carol had stored the book in the back of the closet in a box with a few other priceless possessions, where she was sure Ed would never find it. She prayed he hadn’t gotten a wild hair and rummaged through the closet and stumbled upon it in her absence.

Andrea had set up a time for Carol to visit her old house to retrieve her belongings, but Ed had set his terms. He’d be there while she was there. He’d been concerned she’d wreck the house, even though that was the last thing on Carol’s mind.

Carol was in no way shape or form to go to the house alone. Daryl refused it and vowed to go with her, but in reality him being around Ed would land Daryl in jail for assault – because Carol knew Ed would lay in hard on Daryl to provoke him -- and that was something Carol refused to happen.

They came to a compromise. As much as Daryl hated the idea of not being there to protect her, Officer Grimes would accompany Carol. He’d taken the most involvement in her case. He seemed to be genuinely concerned for her welfare, though Daryl unabashedly tossed around why Officer Grimes was never concerned before when the issue had been brought up to the police about a possible domestic abuse within that home. Carol knew it was safer for Daryl, in all actuality, that Officer Grimes accompany her. He’d protect her, at least physically from harm, if Ed tried to get to her.

The whole ride over in Officer Grimes police car, Carol’s stomach churned as badly as a storm on the sea. She wasn’t sure what emotions to expect to rear up when she saw the house – her prison with a metaphorical lock and key. Her heart pounded like a war drum reverberating through her as she followed Officer Grimes the short way up the driveway to the front door. They’d rarely used the front door during her years there, but she wanted desperately to avoid walking through the side door and didn’t correct Grimes as he knocked firmly on the thick wooden front door.

Grumbling filled the space behind the door and barely a couple seconds later, the door swung open to reveal the thick stature of her soon-to-be ex-husband. His eyes fell on Officer Grimes first, his scowl deepening then his gaze trail over to Carol. His glare pierced through her, the same glare he shot at her when he was unapologetically disgusted with her.

As tempted as she was to cower at his presence, like a habit that was difficult to break, Carol had worked herself up to not showing weakness around him. Not anymore. She was stronger now. She truly wanted to believe that and practice it. Her time away from him had gained her confidence that had been stripped from her before and continuing the self-defense lessons with Andrea had helped her come into her own. She was cared about by the people that had stepped into her life. She had a family to come home to, a family that wanted her and needed her. She wouldn’t allow Ed to remind her of her uselessness he shoved into her brain for all those years.

“Mrs. Peletier is here for her—”

“I know why the whore’s here,” Ed snapped before Grimes could finish. He continued to glare at Carol. Her mind was screaming and her heart was slamming her chest, but she refused to break the stare off he’d spurred her into. She knew that look -- intimidation. She wasn’t giving him the satisfaction.

“There’s no need for being disrespectful, Mr. Peletier. Let her thru,” Grimes commanded in a steady voice. “And keep the door open for the duration of this visit.”

Ed moved to the side, grudgingly, scowling like someone pissed in his cornflakes.

Officer Grimes leaned into Carol, but his steely gaze never faulted from Ed. “I’ll be right out here. Call if you need me.”

Carol nodded absently. As she stepped through the threshold, the action seeming more like she was entering a dragon’s den without any armor and the promise of being consumed by fire inevitable, her stomach tightened in knots that she knew would rise up and choke her. She dared to turn her back on Ed, his eyes burning straight through her from behind. She beelined it toward the bedroom, picking up pace when she was out of sight.

Nothing had changed within the house. Ed was far too lazy and thoughtless to even bother re-arranging anything. There was also a good bit of daily keep up that the house desperately needed. Floors mopped. Furniture dusted. Everything Carol had worked to keep clean for him so he wouldn’t get set off and drag her by the arm and watch her clean it as he stood menacingly over her.

Even now, the urge to pick up his dirty socks thrown haphazardly on the floor or the trace of a cobweb floating from the ceiling was forcing her muscles to take care of those chores. But it wasn’t out of a desire to take care of the house she lived in for so many years. It was out of fear of what Ed thought, and Carol shut her eyes for a moment to take a deep breath and remind herself that it was not her problem anymore. Ed couldn’t slap her for a job that was not hers anymore. He was on the verge of becoming just a memory, a blip on her radar. She was making a future with someone who wouldn’t throw her to the floor and yell at her to scrub a spot of mud up. Everything she did for Daryl she did out of love -- not fear -- and he appreciated all that she did.

Dread curled around her like a constrictor slithering its way around prey as she entered the bedroom. The room she shared with Ed had undoubtly held the worst nightmare fuel. She averted her eyes from gazing upon the bed she’d lain in with him, urging her mind to steel away from the memories of the dirty deeds she endured. She’d convinced herself that it was her wifely duty to satisfy her husband. He could do with her whatever and whenever and she would give it willingly. Even when it hurt to the point that she bit her lip until it bled, she’d never protested his actions. She knew he’d push harder, rougher on her if he knew it hurt her.

It was a miracle that she could muster the desire for any kind of intimacy with Daryl. His gentleness and the care he put in made her feel safe and that security gave way to her own desires.

Carol struggled to swallow around the lump in her throat. She willed her legs to get her to the closet. She opened the folding doors of the closet. She wasn’t prepared for another wave of emotions as her eyes took in the sight of her wardrobe ripped from the hangars and shoved into a pile on the floor on her side of the closet. She slowly knelt down, hesitant to even reach out and touch the clothing. These clothes held just as many memories as anything else in the house. She fingered an olive green blouse, one of the few articles of clothing she’d actually liked. Ed criticized her on many subjects, and her choice of clothing was no exception. He preferred her in colors and styles that didn’t attract attention toward her. Her clothes had to be within _his_ standards.

When she’d gotten free reign to choose whatever she wanted to wear, it’d been difficult to tear away from what he had drilled into her all those years, at first choosing drab colors and styles. But when a red blouse had caught her eyes at the thrift store, she’d stood there admiring it as if it were a piece of fine art. When Daryl had commented that it’d look good on her and insisted on buying it for her, that one moment had opened up the door that had been sealed shut by Ed’s choices for her. She was free to wear whatever color, whatever style she wished to wear. As much as she liked the olive green blouse she momentarily held, she couldn’t bring herself to want any of these clothes anymore. Not with the memories that were tied to them.

Carol pushed the pile of discarded clothes out of the way. Bending on her hands and knees to lean further into the closet, she blindly searched for the box she prayed remained there untouched. She nearly choked out a sob when her hand found it. She pulled the box free and sat back with it on her lap.

It was an old, decorative box her mother had kept keepsakes in. Every priceless little trinket or photograph or page of a journal was in this box. Thankfully, it was large enough to hold Sophia’s baby book. Carol cracked the box lid open, relieved that it appeared untouched. This was all she needed, all she wanted. Everything else in the house could burn for all she cared.

Carol pushed up onto her feet, a newfound urgency in her steps as she rushed out the bedroom, hugging the box to her side. She halted her progress as if an invisible hook had suddenly grabbed her. The towering figure of Ed was glaring at her as he blocked her path.

For a split second, the irrational fear that Ed had taken out Officer Grimes and was about to kill her raced across her mind. He stood rooted there, unwavering, as he glared.

“Should’a never took my chances on a pathetic, useless **tch,” Ed started in on what Carol knew would be a tirade of insults to bring her down to the value of the dirt on his shoes. “Wasted all these years on your sorry *ss, just so you could whore around with redneck trailer trash. Lettin’ the brat around the likes’a trailer trash. He probably touches her, and you don’t even give a damn.”

Carol raked in a shuttering breath, trying desperately to show no weakness. It was one thing to insult her, but another to drag the ones she loved through the mud. She possessed courage now that she hadn’t before. She pushed fear aside and tapped into the newly found courage.

“You’re mistaking the so-called trailer trash for yourself, Ed.”

Ed bowed up like a rooster rearing up for a fight. “You wanna repeat that to me and see what happens.”

Carol’s muscles and nerves were on edge, ready at any given moment to take action. She’d continued her defense training with Andrea. It’d taken some time to come to terms with the enemy in her head, but she’d somehow reversed the terror into strength, and in doing so, had gotten control of her demons when training. She knew several ways to take him down if he tried to harm her. In the very least, it would distract him enough for her to get away and back to the safety of Officer Grimes.

She gritted her teeth and hissed, “You don’t scare me, Ed. I’m not the little mouse scurrying around here anymore afraid of _your_ shadow. I have a good life now, and you’re not going to steal that from me. Now get out my way.”

Carol’s inside trembled, and she prayed her outward body wouldn’t follow. Everything about the present situation verged on the side of surreal. It was the first time she’d stood up to him, and ultimately, stood up for herself. She was harnessing a strength she’d always wanted to possess, but never could before.

Her muscles were ready to spring into action when she caught the slightly movement from Ed. There was no need to defend herself. Ed stepped to the side, his back to the wall, leaving a narrow space for her to pass.

Carol swallowed hard, hoping this wasn’t a trick. As she passed, Ed offered one last blow of insults.

“Worthless piece of **it. Run back to your redneck ingrate and die from a STD!” he flung at her back. “Happy as **it you and the brat ain’t my damn problem no more.”

His words muddled together, and she tried to fall on deaf ear. She’d let him have the satisfaction that he got to her, that his insults soaked into her skin and cause earthshattering harm. She’d let him think that, and maybe the cruel words would rise up to haunt her later when the world around her was quiet and she was left alone with her thoughts. But right now in the present, she deflected his words to focus on escape – one last escape from the prison she was tortured in, from the heavy-handed warden that controlled her life for so many years.

The sunshine streaming through the front door was the most glorious sight. As she passed the threshold, the wave of relief was nearly strong enough to have knocked her off her feet. Officer Grimes was waiting there, asking her if she was okay and if she’d gathered all that she was here to collect. Nodding her head, Grimes escorted her to his vehicle.

Carol hugged the box to her chest. She willed herself to not take one last glance at the house. In this moment, she was leaving behind the torment, the pain. _Him._ Carol only hoped she could leave it all behind for the rest of her life.


	26. Part 26

“You okay?”

Though he’d kept his voice soft, Daryl scolded himself for startling her.

Carol had been quiet ever since she returned from the treacherous visit of retrieving her belongings. Daryl was surprised when she returned with only a single, decorative box awkwardly clutched to her chest. He eyed the box, curious as to what was so important inside that she looked as if she’d fight to the death to protect it. She left the box resting on her side of the bed.

Ever since then, through supper and Sophia’s bedtime routine, Carol had remained somber – offering Soph watery smiles in exchange for the girl chattering about her day.

Daryl was concerned as to what happened at the house he’d never laid eyes on but could imagine in his nightmares. Did Officer Grimes fulfill his duty in keeping Carol safe? Did Ed say anything to her? Various scenarios worked their way into Daryl’s mind causing his stomach to churn.

Now that Sophia was tucked in bed, he could approach her.

Carol offered him a faint smile as he joined her on the couch. “I’m fine.”

Daryl cupped her arm, paused, then began a slow rub up and down the length of her arm. “Don’t know if ya wanna talk about what ya did today, but ya can if ya need to.”

She released a heavy sigh and leaned her head against his shoulder. “There’s not much to say.” Her thick tone of voice told otherwise, but Daryl wasn’t about to push her into anything she didn’t wish to speak of. “It just reminded me how much I despite that house. Even with the memories of Sophia’s first words or steps that happened there, it can’t erase these feelings.”

Carol straightened up, turning slightly to face Daryl better. Tears glistened in her eyes. “Ed tried to get into my head. Tried to intimidate me. Make me feel like a worthless pile of cr-p.” She paused as she drew in a deep breath. There was a resolve – a strength she was wearing that hadn’t been there when he first met her. “I stood my ground against him. I walked out of that house with my head held high.”

Daryl was nearly taken aback by the fire in her eyes.

“I did it.”

His heart swelled almost bigger than his chest could handle. He’d never been so proud of anyone in his entire life. He couldn’t stop the chuckle and the smile that burst on his face. “You did do it, woman.”

Carol laughed, truly smiling for the first time the entire evening and mostly likely the entire day.

“What’d you go get?” Daryl had been curious of the single box she’d brought back.

Carol left the couch to retrieve the decorative box. She plopped back down beside him, their weight causing her to sink a little closer to him – the box covering her lap.

“The only thing of importance,” she declared then gently lifted the lid.

Daryl peered inside. He wasn’t sure exactly what he expected to see. From first glance, it appeared to be filled with just random items that meant nothing to him, but as Carol began to take out the items, he realized that maybe they would mean something to him after all.

A tiny white shirt was the first to be removed. Carol held up the tiny shirt, smiling softly at it. Daryl had never seen anything so small. It looked like it was made for a baby doll.

“This was the shirt I brought Sophia home in,” Carol explained. “I didn’t get to buy a cute little outfit for her like most mothers do, so the hospital gave me this.”

She laid the shirt down on the couch beside her then grabbed another item from the box – a pink and white beanie hat, another tiny item, with a big bow attached on it. “The nurse made a bow for the little beanie hat newborns wear in the hospital. She said Sophia deserved something with a little girly flare to it.”

She set the beanie on top of the tiny shirt.

Next, she pulled a gallon-sized ziplock bag out. She opened it and began pulling out the contents one by one, explaining what they were and what they meant to her. Included in the contents were her parents’ driver’s licenses, her dad’s pocket Swish army knife, her mother’s engagement ring—

“My parents were buried with their wedding bands. It was the only thing they wished to take with them. Even though I knew the rings would just sit there in the ground for the rest of eternity, I didn’t want to go against their one request.”

Daryl listened, intently, as Carol spoke of every item and the little stories or reasons behind them. These were irreplaceable things. Daryl had never been sentimental about material things. All he truly had left of his parents were the memories stored in his head and his mother’s antique lamp – he couldn’t recall how the old thing even survived this long in his possession.

But, as he listened to Carol, he began to understand. Objects helped preserve memories. He reckoned the GloWorm he gave Sophia would preserve a memory for her (and him) that was an important marker in their relationship. He hoped the ring he planned to buy Carol would remind her of his love for her.

At the bottom of the box, Carol picked up a book with a pink cover and little baby animals printed on it.

“Sophia’s baby book.” She smiled warmly at the book. “I found it, unused, at a theft store and snatched it up. I wanted to record every detail of her growth.”

She wasn’t exaggerating.

As Carol began to journey through the book, Daryl was amazed at how thorough she was at recording Sophia’s growth. The lines given to write down dates and detail weren’t long enough, and Carol had taken to filling up the blank spaces of the entire pages. There were pictures taped into the printed framed spots for photographs. Those pictures caught Daryl’s interest the most.

He’d never imagined what Sophia looked like when she was a baby. When he thought of her, she was a ready-made 5-year old little girl who could already walk and talk and take care of her basic needs. In these pictures, she was tiny and helpless. Somehow, this fragile, little baby survived in an environment entrenched in abuse. Somehow, her mother kept her safe and healthy through the uncertainty of her everyday life.

Daryl suddenly felt overwhelmed by the resilience and strength Carol displayed.

He paid attention to every picture and milestone Carol pointed out in the book. He wanted to live this with her as she relived the memories. At the end of the book were pages for birthdays – all the way up until the 5th birthday. Aside from Sophia’s 1st birthday, the rest of the pages were blank.

“Why’re the birthdays blank?”

Carol’s face saddened. “I could never give Sophia a party. Ed was completely against it, and really? There was no one to invite. I made a small cake for Sophia’s 1st birthday and that’s the picture in the book.”

She flipped to the page she referred to. One-year old Sophia, her strawberry blonde hair filling out and her cheeks chubby, sat in some sort of booster seat on a chair with a little round cake in front of her.

“Ed went ballistic over the cake and present and birthday banner I’d bought. He called it the biggest waste of money, that Sophia wouldn’t remember anyway – so why bother? He ripped the banner down and threw it in the trash then took the rest of his frustrations out on me.”

Daryl watched as Carol relived the horrible memory, a memory that should have been pure joy of her only child’s 1st birthday. She swallowed audibly.

“I don’t regret giving Sophia that little birthday party, but I decided it was best to not tempt fate again, and I do regret that.” Her gaze met his and fresh tears glistened in her eyes. “A child should be able to celebrate their birthday, and a mother should be responsible for that no matter the situation.”

Daryl’s heart picked up, the statement hitting too close to home. He’d been that child who never got to celebrate his birthday. He never had a birthday cake or got the chance to blow out candles. The closest he’d ever had to his birthday even being acknowledged was the random items Merle gifted to him during his earlier years. Merle’s last present to him was his first pack of cigarettes that he didn’t have to bum off someone.

“When’s Soph’s birthday?” he asked, not recalling the exact date he saw at a glance in the front of the baby book.

“January 11th.”

It was too early to celebrate her 6th birthday, but an idea had struck Daryl.

***

When Andrea appeared on their porch Saturday morning, Carol assumed she was there to discuss legal matters. But, when Andrea offered to take her and Sophia out for breakfast and then a trip to the park, Carol was pleasantly surprised and a bit confused. Her and Andrea had spent time together, but it usually revolved around other matters, not just a friendly outing.

Daryl’s enthusiasm for her to go with Andrea ventured on the suspicious side. Carol’s brow creased together at his attempts to get her out the house, and she wondered what secret Daryl was hoarding from her.

They were eating breakfast at Waffle House. Andrea insisted on paying for whatever they desired. Sophia had shyly pointed out a stack of pancakes on the menu. Carol caught herself from chided her daughter that she wouldn’t be able to finish such a tall stack. At times, it was still hard reassuring Sophia that she could, in fact, have what she wanted, and Carol didn’t want to take away that newly found freedom from her. Carol ordered hashbrowns and eggs and decided she’d eat whatever Sophia left behind.

Her and Andrea chatted as they waited for their food. Sophia played make believe with her spoon as a princess and her butter knife as a knight. It was a nice change of pace, being able to just sit and talk with another woman on lighter subjects than abusive relationships and divorce.

After finishing breakfast, true to her word, Andrea brought them to the park. They trailed after Sophia around the playground, watching and praising her for performing daring feats like climbing the kiddie rock wall. After Sophia got her fill of the playground, they strolled the walking trail along the pond. By the time they were ready to leave, it was drawing close to lunchtime.

Andrea drove mother and daughter back to the trailer they called home. Carol noticed a certain gleam in Andrea’s eyes and a little smirk about her lips as they pulled up. Merle’s bike was parked out front and Carol assumed the woman gave off a little sparkle of delight for whatever Merle was to her. Seeing Merle at the trailer didn’t raise any question as to why Andrea shut off the car and followed them to the front door.

“Sophia, why don’t you go on up first, hon,” Andrea suggested, gently grabbing Carol’s wrist.

Carol turned, eyes questioning Andrea’s action. Her attention was drawn back, for a second, to the front door opening and Sophia’s surprised squeal.

“Sophia?” Carol called out, barely noticing Andrea had released her wrist as fast as she had caught it.

“Mama, look!” Sophia squealed out as Carol crossed the threshold. “Balloons!”

Carol peered around the open area of the trailer, her mouth hanging slightly open. A pink balloon floated in her view. A banner that read “Happy Birthday” hung from the ceiling. Waiting on the small kitchen table was a round, two-layer cake.

Her eyes finally found Daryl, who was tossing balloons up for Sophia to smack. Merle was standing by the table, Andrea walking up to join him. Daryl turned his attention to her as Sophia waded through the mass of balloons on the floor of the living room. He cracked a half smile Carol’s way.

“What is this for?”

Daryl straightened up from his knelt position as balloon tosser. “Ya said the other day Soph never got a birthday party. I know her real birthday still a few months off, but thought we’d throw ‘er something to make up for the birthdays she missed.”

Carol stepped up to the table to see the cake. It was simple white icing with purple scalloped lining. “Happy Birthday, Sophia” was written in pink on top, accompanied by five candles.

“Cake!” Sophia’s voice rang out beside Carol, causing her to flinch at the loud outburst. Sophia was already climbing on the chair to get better look. “It has my name on it! Is it for me, Mommy?”

Carol smiled through the emotions threatening to spill out. She ran a hand down Sophia’s hair. “If it has your name on it then it must be, sweetheart.”

Sophia’s brow furrowed. “Is it my birthday?”

“Ya birthday ain’t for’a few more months, Soph,” Daryl stepped up, nudging Sophia’s shoulder, “but we didn’t get to celebrate ya 5th birthday together. Thought we could do that today, if ya like.”

The most brilliant smile lit up Sophia’s face. Carol choked back a sob. She’d lost hope of ever witnessing pure joy shining from Sophia’s face. Her daughter was happy – truly and perfectly happy.

Sophia bounced a little in the chair on her knees. “Can we eat the cake, Daddy?”

Daryl laughed to himself. “Not before we sing Happy Birthday.”

“The candles,” Andrea pointed out.

“Let ole’ Uncle Merle light these suckers up,” Merle offered, a lighter ready in his hand. He leaned over the table and lit the candles.

Andrea discreetly passed Carol a paper towel to dab her eyes dry. Carol smiled a thank you at her. Andrea squeezed her arm in return.

Sophia practically vibrated with excitement as the quartet of grown ups sang her the birthday song. Merle snorted a laugh when Andrea broke out into the “and many more” part at the end of the song. Everybody was laughing by the time she declared she couldn’t remember the rest of it.

“Can I blow them out?” Sophia asked, unsurely.

“Hold on!” Andrea raised her phone to take pictures. “Go ahead, Sophia.”

Sophia leaned over and gave several quick blows to extinguish the flames. As the smoke curled into the air, everyone clapped and hollered as if she’d just scored the winning shot of a ball game.

Plates, forks, and a knife were set out already. Carol’s surprise was begining to wear off and her emotions were stabilizing. She got to work cutting the cake and distributing it. She gave the candles to Sophia and told her she could lick the icing off them. Sophia scarfed down the piece of cake, wearing more icing on her face than getting it in her mouth. The grown ups ate their cake in a less messy manner.

As if cake and balloons weren’t enough, Daryl announced it was time to open presents. Andrea – and Merle claiming it was from him too – gave Sophia a rainbow-colored kitten plush. She hugged and petted it as if it were a real cat.

“Gift from me and ya Ma is out back,” Daryl said, waving her to follow him out the backdoor.

Sophia trotted along after him, the rainbow kitten tucked under her arm. Carol followed right behind, playing along that whatever this present was she had a hand in picking out – but in reality, it was as much of a surprise to her as it was to Sophia.

“A bike!” Sophia gasped, but her voice sobered, and she looked defeated. She hugged the kitten plush to her chest. “I don’t know how to ride a bike.”

“It’s okay, Soph,” Daryl assured. He swung the bike around to bring it closer to her. “I’ll teach’cha. It got training wheels to help ya balance.”

Her blue eyes widened at Daryl. “You won’t let me fall?”

Daryl knelt in front of her. “I’ll do my best, but even if ya do happen to fall, I’ll help ya up, dust ya off, and we can try again. Sound good?”

Sophia smiled and threw her arms around Daryl’s neck. Daryl glanced up at Carol for that brief moment, checking if she was okay with all this. She hoped her smile and nod was enough for him until they could discuss the happenings of the day during their evening routine.

Sophia released him and barreled into Carol, almost knocking her off balance. Carol chuckled when Sophia barely gave her enough time to catch the rainbow kitten Sophia tossed for her to hold. Then Sophia hopped on the bike.

Carol watched, hugging the plush to her chest just as her daughter did, as Daryl instructed Sophia on how to push off and work the pedals. He pushed her along slowly, the handlebars wobbling as Sophia became accustom to the feel.

So many thoughts – both joyful and regretful – streamed through Carol’s mind. She pushed down the regrets, knowing she’d revisit them later, and focused on the joy of watching her daughter receive care and love from a man who didn’t owe them anything, but chose to give it freely.


End file.
